I runga i te mihi

He mea kua whakatōkia e te Atua te whakawhetai ki roto i ngā ira me ngā hinengaro o āna mea hanga mai anō i te tīmatanga. Ahakoa he tamaiti nohinohi, kāore e taea te kōrero, kāore rawa i pāngia e tētahi ahurea, ka whakapuaki i te whakawhetai me te kore kupu mā te nekeneke harikoa me te menemene ina awhi tōna whaea i a ia. Waihoki, ka kitea te whakawhetai i roto i ngā kararehe i roto i ngā momo huarahi, he maha ngā wā ka pā te aroha. Ka taea e te tangata te whakapuaki i tōna whakawhetai mā roto i ngā kupu, i ngā himene whakamoemiti, i ngā whakahere, i ngā kupu whakaari tapu, i te aroha pono, me ērā atu mea. He maha ngā tauira o te whakawhetai ka kitea hoki i roto i ngā Karaipiture Tapu—te Paipera.
Ka kitea te uara pono o te whakawhetai ina puta mai i te ngākau ake; ka tere te kitea o te whakawhetai ā-ringa, ā, he onge te maioha. He maha rawa ngā wā, me akiaki ngā mātua i ā rātou tamariki kia mihi; engari ki te nui ake te akiaki i a rātou, ka nui ake te hoki whakamuri. He maha ngā wā ka puta he āhua whakamā, mō te tamaiti me ngā mātua, ina tae mai tētahi atu tangata. Nā te mea kāore te tamaiti e mārama tonu he aha rātou me whakawhetai ai, me ako tonu ngā mātua i a rātou, me akiaki tonu i a rātou. He mea noa, pērā i te maha atu o ngā mea, me ako ngā tamariki i te whakawhetai – he maha ngā wā he uaua.
I roto i te wā, ka piki haere te mārama o te tamaiti ki tēnei ahurea me te tikanga ā-hinengaro; nō reira, ka iti haere te "whakahau" i tēnei. Mā te ako tonu, ka taea e ia te tae atu ki te ngākau o te tamaiti mō ake tonu atu. Kāore te whakawhetai e akiakihia, kāore hoki e ahu mai i te hinengaro; ka noho hei wāhanga nui o tōna āhua. He maha ngā tamariki e whakaatu ana i tēnei tikanga me te aroha nui me te harikoa. Engari, ko te whakawhetai, pērā i ētahi atu āhuatanga taiao, ka ngaro haere i te hekenga whānui. Ko te mea i kitea i mua ka memeha haere, ehara i te mea i roto i te tini o ngā tamariki engari i roto hoki i te tini o ngā pakeke. I roto i ngā kōrero e whai ake nei, ka tirohia e tātou tēnei kaupapa o te whakawhetai mai i tētahi tirohanga rerekē.

He manaakitanga, he kanga rānei?
Kua whakanuia te kounga ā-roto o te whakawhetai ki te karakia. E kīia ana kāore te Atua e akiaki i tetahi ki te pupuri i Ana ture, kāore hoki ia e whiu i te hunga e kore e whakarongo ki aua ture. E kī ana ēnei tohunga karakia me whai harikoa ngā ture a te Atua i runga i te whakawhetai mō te whakaoranga i roto i a Karaiti Ihu. Kia āta tirohia tēnei kereme.
E mōhiotia whānuitia ana, ehara i te mea ka mahia ngā mea katoa i runga i te whakawhetai. Tērā ētahi mea kei raro i te kawenga. Kei roto i tēnei ko ngā ture katoa. Ahakoa ka taea e te tangata, i roto i te whānui, te whakarongo ki tētahi ture i runga i te whakawhetai—hei tauira, e whakawhetai ana ahau kei reira he rama whero o te huarahi, ki te kore, kāore e haumaru taku hauora, tae atu ki tōku ora—he ture pakari tonu tēnei rama huarahi e kore e taea te whakahawea me te kore e tūpono ki a ia anō me ētahi atu, ā, ka hara rānei.

E kōrero ana te Paipera mō te kanga o te ture. Engari me pēhea te ture matatika a te Atua, te ture o te aroha, e waiho ai hei kanga whakangaromanga? Me pēhea te mārama ki tēnei? E rua ngā wāhanga matua o ia ture: Ki te whaihia – he manaakitanga; ki te kore e arohia – ko te kanga whiu.
Ko tētahi tauira tino pai o tēnei raruraru ko te kōrero nui o ngā tāngata tuatahi ki te Ao—a Ātama rāua ko Īwa. I hoatu he ture ki a rāua me ngā tohutohu e rite ana. "Na ka ako a Ihowa, te Atua, ki te tangata, ka mea, 'E kai noa ana koe i ngā hua o ngā rākau katoa o te kari; ko te rākau ia o te mātauranga ki te pai, ki te kino, kaua e kainga; ko te wā hoki e kai ai koe i tētahi o aua hua, ka mate koe.'" Kenese 3:16-17
Mai anō i te tīmatanga, ehara i te mea ko tēnei ture kotahi e pā ana ki te rākau rāhui anake i riro i te tangata, engari ko te ture matatika katoa. Ka riro mai i a tātou tēnei mātauranga mai i te kōrero mō Kaina me ētahi atu tāngata:
"Na ka kawea e Kaina... he whakahere ki a Ihowa. A ka kawea mai ano e Apera... A ka aro a Ihowa ki a Apera me tana whakahere: engari kihai i aro ki a Kaina me tana whakahere. Na ka riri rawa a Kaina... Na ka mea a Ihowa ki a Kaina, He aha koe i riri ai?... Ki te kore ia koe e mahi i te mea tika, kei te takoto te hara i tou tatau...'" (Kenese 1:4,4-7)
He tauira ano:
“Na ka mea a Ihowa, ‘He nui rawa te karanga mo Horoma raua ko Komora, he nui rawa hoki o raua hara.’” (Kenese 1:18,20)
“Na ka riri a Hākopa, ka totohe ki a Rāpana. … He aha taku hara, he aha taku hara, i takare ai koe ki te whai mai i ahau?” (Kenese 1:31.36)
“Ko te tangata e hara ana, e takahi ana ia i te ture; ko te hara hoki te takahi i te ture.” (1 Hoani 3:4)
Nō reira, mai anō i te tīmatanga, i mōhiotia te tangata ki te ture matatika a te Atua. I hoatu tēnei ture, me tōna pupuri, ki a rātou, ā, i whakahaua i mua i tō rātou hiahia ki te aroha noa, ki te whakaoranga rānei. He tino wairangi te tono kia whakarongohia tēnei ture i runga i te whakawhetai. He aha te hapori ka taea te tuku i te pōrearea kia tupu? Ko te mea he wairangi i taua wā, he pono tonu i ēnei rā. Kāore e taea te kī me whai i ēnei rā te ngohengohe ki te Atua i runga i te whakawhetai, i te wairua nōhanga rānei.
He pono kei ia tangata te mana ki te whiriwhiri mēnā ka whai, ka takahi rānei i ngā ture a te Atua. Heoi, he pono anō hoki mēnā kāore e whaihia ngā ture a te Atua, ka tino tae mai te kanga o te hara. He maha ngā tauira puta noa i te hītori e whakaatu mārama ana i tēnei. Ka taea e te katoa te wheako i tēnei. Ko te kōrero mō tēnei te taahiraa tuatahi nui. I roto i ēnei āhuatanga, he tino rongonui te kupu "Kua whakamatautauria ahau e Hātana!" - me te mea he rorohiko te tangata ka taea te whakautu mā te pato i ngā whakahau. He "whaiaro" tō ia tangata, ā, ko ia te kawenga mōna.
He pai te titiro ki ngā mea i runga i te pono: Mehemea kua whakatipuria te tangata kia pono tonu, ahakoa i roto i ngā mea iti. Engari ka tūpono ka hē ia i roto i tētahi mea iti. Kāore tetahi i kite, kāore he hua kino i puta, he iti noa te harikoa i te mea kua angitu ia. Nā te mea he iti rawa, kāore i puta te whakaaro he hara. I muri mai, kāore i kitea, ka puta mai te "mea iti" e whai ake nei; ā, ko te mea i muri mai; ā, i whai mai ngā atu!
E taea te kī mō tēnei tukanga: "He rite ki te pua nani. Ko te mea iti rawa ia o ngā purapura katoa e whakatōkia ana ki te whenua." Engari ina oti te whakatō"E tupu ake ana, e roa ake ana i ngā otaota māra katoa, ā, e toro atu ana ōna manga nunui, ā, ka taea e ngā manu te kōhanga i raro i tōna taumarumaru." (Maka 4:31-32) Ka haere mai ngā hoa mahi, ka hari tahi me ia—ka whakanuia e rātou tōna angitu. He āhua tēnei o te mea ka tupu ina kore e arohia te ture matatika: ina kīia ko te aroha noa o te Atua anake te mea e ranea ana mō te tapu.
Ehara ēnei kōrero i te mea e pā ana ki te whakapono. Ko ngā hua mārama ēnei o te whakapono ko te aroha noa anake, me te kore e piri ki te ture matatika, he rawaka hei kiia he "tapu"!