LIBHAYIBHLELI litsi: “Bantfwana balifa leliphuma kuSimakadze, basibusiso lesivela kuye.” (Hla. 127:3) Akumangalisi kutsi batali labangemaKhristu ngesikhatsi kutalwa umntfwana wabo bajabula kakhulu.

Nanobe basuke bajabulile, kutalwa kwemntfwana kuta nemitfwalo lebaluleke kakhulu. Kute umntfwana akhule abe ngumuntfu lomdzala lonemphilo, udzinga kudla lokunemphilo ngaso sonkhe sikhatsi. Nangabe umntfwana kufanele amelele kukhonta kweliciniso, udzinga kufundziswa ngaNkulunkulu kanye nesicondziso sebatali labatimisele kunamatselisa kuye timiso taNkulunkulu. (Taga 1:8) Kufanele kucale nini lokuceceshwa, futsi kuhlanganisani?

Ase ucabange ngendzaba yaDani lobekabitwa ngekutsi nguManowa, labehlala edolobheni laseSora ka-Israyeli wasendvulo. Ingilosi yaJehova yatjela umfati waManowa lobekayinyumba kutsi abetawutala umntfwana wemfana. (Khu. 13:2, 3) Manowa lowetsembekile nemfati wakhe abazange bakungabate loko, bajabula kakhulu. Nanobe kunjalo, bebakhatsatekile ngaletinye tintfo letibalulekile. Ngako Manowa wathantaza: “Awu, Simakadze, ngiyakuncenga kutsi mane lowo muntfu waNkulunkulu lomtfumele lapha kitsi aphindze abuye atesifundzisa kutsi lomfana lotawutalwa sitamkhulisa kanjani.” (Khu. 13:8) Manowa nemfati wakhe bebakhatsateke ngekutsi batamkhulisa njani umntfwana wabo. Ngalokungangabateki bafundzisa indvodzana yabo Samsoni imitsetfo yaNkulunkulu futsi imetamo yabo yaphumelela. LiBhayibheli litsi: ‘Umoya waSimakadze wacala kumnyakatisa [Samsoni].’ Umphumela waloko waba kutsi Samsoni ente imisebenti yemandla njengalomunye wetikhulu taka-Israyeli.—Khu. 13:25; 14:5, 6; 15:14, 15.

Kufanele ucale nini kucecesha umntfwana? ‘Kusukela aseluswane,’ Thimothi waceceshwa ‘ngemibhalo lengcwele’ ngumake wakhe Yunisi kanye nagogo wakhe Lowisi. (2 Thim. 1:5; 3:15) Ngako kuceceshwa kwaThimothi ngemiBhalo kwacala asemncane kakhulu.

Kukuhlakanipha ngebatali labangemaKhristu kuthantazela sicondziso nekuhlela kusenesikhatsi kute bakwati kucecesha umntfwana wabo ‘kusukela aseluswane.’ Taga 21:5 titsi: “Emasu emuntfu lokhutsele amdvonsela ekuphumeleleni.” Ngaphambi kwekutsi kutalwe umntfwana, ngalokungangabateki batali batamlungiselela kahle. Bangahle babhale ngisho neluhla lwetintfo umntfwana latatidzinga. Kubalulekile nekutsi bente luhlelo lwendlela labatamfundzisa ngayo ngaNkulunkulu. Umgomo wabo kufanele ube kutsi bacale lokucecesha lomntfwana kusukela asemncane kakhulu.

Incwadzi letsi Early Childhood Counts—A Programming Guide on Early Childhood Care for Development itsi: “Ngemuva kwetinyanga letimbalwa umntfwana abelekiwe kusuke kusikhatsi lesibalulekile sekukhula kwengcondvo. Ngaleso sikhatsi ingcondvo yemntfwana ibamba kahle konkhe lakuvako ngekushesha.” Batali benta ngekuhlakanipha kutsi basebentise leso sikhatsi kute banamatsisele timfundziso taNkulunkulu netimiso takhe engcondvweni yemntfwana wabo.

Akhuluma ngendvodzakati yakhe lencane, make lophindze abe lihlahlandlela watsi: “Bengisolo ngihamba naye ensimini kusukela nje anenyanga yinye budzala. Nanobe abengakucondzi loko lokwentekako, ngikholelwa kutsi kuhamba naye kwaba nemtselela kuye. Ngesikhatsi asaneminyaka lengetulu kwalemibili budzala abenesibindzi sekubaniketa emapheshana labo lahlangana nabo ensimini.”

Kucecesha umntfwana kusukela asemncane kuletsa titselo letinhle. Nobe kunjalo, batali batfole kutsi kufundzisa bantfwana ngaNkulunkulu kuhambisana netinsayeya letitsite.

Njengobe bantfwana baphatamiseka melula, kungaba matima ngebatali kubafundzisa. Umntfwana lomncane angase aphatamiseke anake tintfo letinyenti. Ecinisweni banesifiso sekwati konkhe labakubonako. Yini batali labangayenta kute basite bantfwana babo banake loko labetama kubafundzisa kona?

Cabanga ngaloko lokwashiwo nguMosi. Dutheronomi 6:6, 7 utsi: “Lemiyalo lengininika yona lamuhla kufanele ibesetinhlitiyweni tenu. Niyakuyinamatsisela etingcondvweni tebantfwabenu, nikhulume ngayo nanihleti emakhaya, nome nihamba endleleni, nome nilala nome nivuka.” Ligama lelitsi ‘kunamatsisela’ lendlulisela umcondvo wekufundzisa ngalokuphindzaphindziwe. Umntfwana lomncane ufanana nesihlahla lesincane lesidzinga kuniselwa ngaso sonkhe sikhatsi. Njengobe kuphindzaphindza kubasita bantfu labadzala kutsi batikhumbule tintfo letibalulekile, kuyabasita nebantfwana.

Kufundzisa bantfwana emaciniso aNkulunkulu kubitela kutsi batali bacitse sikhatsi nabo. Kulesikhatsi lesiphila kuso lesimatasatasa, kubekela eceleni sikhatsi sekubafundzisa kuyinsayeya. Kodvwa umphostoli Pawula wancoma kutsi ‘sibambisise ematfuba’ ikakhulukati emisebentini yebuKhristu. (Ef. 5:15, 16) Kungase kwentiwe njani loko? Lomunye umzalwane lomdzala lonemfati lolihlahlandlela lelivamile futsi lelimatasatasa utsi kulinganisela ekucecesheni umntfwana, ekukhonteni Nkulunkulu nekwenta umsebenti wekutiphilisa kuyinsayeya. Bangasenta  njani sikhatsi sekucecesha indvodzakati yabo? Babe wakhe utsi: “Onkhe emalanga ekuseni ngaphambi kwekutsi ngiye emsebentini, mine nemfati wami simfundzela incwadzi letsi INcwadzi Yami Yetindzaba TeliBhayibheli nobe incwajana letsi Kuhlolisisa ImiBhalo Malanga Onkhe. Entsambama siyaciniseka kutsi siyafundza ngaphambi kwekutsi alale futsi nasiya ensimini sihamba naye. Asifuni kutsi silahlekelwe ngulelitfuba lekumcecesha kuleminyaka yakhe yekucala.”

Sifuna kutsi bantfwana betfu bakhule bakhone kutimela. Nobe kunjalo, sizatfu setfu lesiyinhloko kubacecesha kutsi babe nelutsandvo ngaNkulunkulu etinhlitiyweni tabo.—Mak. 12:28-30.

Tihlabelelo 127:4 titsi: “Bantfwana bebusha banjengemicibisholo lesesandleni selichawe.” Bantfwana bafananiswa nemicibisholo lokufanele uyicondzise ngco kuloko lokudubulako. Lona lodubulako angeke awujikise lomcibisholo nasekadubulile. Batali ‘banemicibisholo’—lokubantfwababo—sikhashana lesitsite. Leso sikhatsi kufanele sisetjentiselwe kunamatsisela timiso taNkulunkulu etingcondvweni nasetinhlitiyweni tebantfwana babo.

Ngalokuphatselene nebantfwana bakhe bakamoya, Johane wabhala: “Kute kujabula lengingaba nako lokwengca loko: kuva kutsi bantfwabami bahamba ecinisweni.” (3 Joh. 4) Batali labangemaKhristu bangasho lokufanako nababona bantfwababo “bahamba ecinisweni.”