The True Meaning Of Christmas

The celebration of Christmas has become distorted over the years. December is now a money making month for shops and a flutter of preparation for customers. Christmas has become all about presents and partying. What has happened to the true meaning of Christmas? What has happened to the reason why the Christmas tradition started in the first place? I believe we’ve lost our focus.

To be honest, I love receiving gifts on Christmas Day, having a nice meal and just having fun. We always decorate the house and have a Christmas tree. But for many people this is all Christmas is about. Though all these things are nice, Christmas isn’t about presents, trees, nice food or a fat man dressed in red with a white beard (I strongly dislike Santa! He is not the father of Christmas!). Christmas is supposed to focally be about Jesus Christ.

Christmas was started by early Christians as a celebration of the birth of Jesus. The word “Christmas” actually means “Christ’s mass”, so how can people take Christ out of the celebration? Oh, I guess some people like calling Christmas, Xmas. Actually, that ‘x’ is based on the Greek word for Christ, so I guess they are failing to change the name in a way that completely eliminates Christ from Christmas. However, I don’t like it when people call Christmas “Xmas” as so many people have taken Jesus out of Christmas. When they put that x in instead of Christ, it’s like they’re taking Him out of the celebration too. But when that happens, Christmas loses all its meaning and uniqueness.

What is the true meaning of Christmas? Christmas is supposed to be a celebration of Jesus Christ’s loving sacrifice He made when He left Heaven for us to come to earth as a baby. The only reason He came to earth was to die for us, so that we could be free from our sins and have eternal life if we choose to believe in Him, and so that we could have a personal relationship with God. Imagine the Son of God leaving Heaven’s glory for a place where there is suffering and sorrow, where He would die a painful death, but where He’d also be raised from the dead. He did this for you and me. This is true love. The true meaning of Christmas is to remember Jesus’ sacrifice and to be thankful for it.

Christmas is a time to spend with family but also a time to celebrate Jesus and worship Him for all that He’s done! I know it’s difficult not to get caught up in everything else that comes with Christmas time but this is something we have to remember.

So I wish you all a Merry Christmas and hope you do get blessed on that special day! But as you enjoy Christmas and all its excitement, remember what Jesus has done for you. Keep Him central this Christmas and then you’ll find the true meaning of Christmas.

The Game of Tennis

This is a photo of a picture I drew

The small, yellow ball connects with the server’s racket strings and whizzes through the air, over the net and hits the first green block on the court, shooting towards the receiver. The receiver returns the ball to the other side of the net, and the tennis match begins. The ball is played back and forth, each tennis player trying to outplay the other until someone makes a mistake and the first point is over. The game continues until someone wins.

The game of tennis needs well-placed shots, concentration, strategy and the ability to outsmart and outplay your opponent. It’s a competitive and enjoyable game that you can play your whole life. This is a sport I love. This is the game of tennis.

I’ve been playing tennis for about eight years now and started when I was about seven. I’m not brilliant at this game but I love tennis. I get a boost when I’m having a good day and am able to play well. I get a sense of satisfaction when I place a shot well and my opponent can’t return it. Sometimes I just have to smile triumphantly at this. But I don’t often feel like smiling when this happens to me in a match. I hate it when I have a bad day and I don’t like to lose (I try to take it well, though I don’t always succeed, but I never throw a tennis tantrum!). I guess this is because I’m competitive. I don’t think I really want to see what I call my “game face” during a tennis match, though.

However, I love my tennis lessons-when it’s not boiling hot- and tennis is a sport I want to play my whole life. I have to admit that socializing at tennis is a great aspect and perhaps increases my enjoyment of the game. Sometimes, though, talking and playing at the same time is very distracting and I’ll blame those I’m talking to for “making” me miss the ball! ;)

Tennis is not an easy game and needs lots of work and practice, but maybe that’s why I feel satisfaction when I finally get a certain shot right. Though sometimes I have a bad day and get frustrated, especially when people lob the ball really high, and sometimes it’s just too hot (oh, the African sun), I love the game of tennis.

Frodo

The Little Cat Prince

The votes on what poem I should post were equal, so I wrote the number of the poems on pieces of paper, put them in a tin and pulled one piece out. The poem below is the one I got. I wrote this poem in March this year, just after my beloved cat, Frodo, ran away. He never returned and I don't know what happened to him. I still miss Frodo a lot and this poem is written for him. This poem is the first poem written since I started to more "seriously" write poetry. I'm a better writer than poet, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. So here is my poem:


The Little Cat Prince

When I first received you,

You were a tiny, adorable, fluff ball of a kitten

Naughty, cute and playful you were, who

Had everyone smitten

Those pretty eyes of light green

Could melt a heart of stone

That long, fluffy tail was the cutest thing to be seen

And also that little spot on your foot all alone

My Frodo kitty too soon grew

Into a grown up cat, affectionate and sweet

Beautiful and fluffy too;

He could charm anyone for a treat

Among the cats, he was little prince

But then he disappeared one terrible day

And hasn't been seen since.

What has happened to my little golden ray?

Oh Frodo, Frodo, won't you come back home to me?

My sweet kitty, don't you know that I love you?

Don't just disappear, never again for me to see

I search, I call, I cry, but to no avail; what can I now do?

One day you were there

Purring and smiling at me in that catlike way

And the next you were gone, that I can't bear!

Don't leave without my say!

Frodo, Frodo, don't you know that I miss you?

Come home to me where you belong

Return to the person who cared for you, who

Loved and looked after you; for my sweet cat I long

Oh Little Cat Prince return from your wanderings to your awaiting kingdom.

Blazing Passion

There is something deep inside of us that stirs us up when we do the things we love. There is an emotion that lights up in us when we feel strongly about something. Sometimes it feels like excitement or pure enjoyment. Sometimes it feels like a fire rising up in the inside. Whatever the feeling is, we all experience this something that lifts us up and keeps us doing the things we love. This something is called passion.

I’m not talking about the passion that involves bad things. I’m talking about a pure, good passion that we all need a touch of to keep us going. According to the dictionary, this type of passion means “a strong emotion” or a “great enthusiasm for something, or the object of this”.

This emotion or enthusiasm is what fuels us to do the things we love or to speak up for things we believe in. Passion is a source of inspiration and the desire to leave our mark somewhere in this world. Though passion can get you worked up and fiery, it can also move you to do things. Passion is something that burns and blazes inside of us. It’s a part of who we are.

There are many things that I’m passionate about. I don’t think I could name them all. What I’m most passionate about, however, is God. My passion for God leads me to be passionate about other things too, such as living for Him, bringing glory to Him and serving Him with what talents and gifts He’s given me, and that list could go on for a long time. Something else I’m passionate about is writing. Passion about a topic is often what fuels me to write. It gives me inspiration and loosens up the words inside of me to write down (or type). Passion, as long as it’s noble and pure, is a good emotion and one we all need.

What are your passions? What are the things that stir you up inside and cause passion to blaze? I believe God puts a passion for certain things inside of us for a purpose. An amazing thing about passion is that it usually coincides with our talents and gifts. And when it comes to our career choice or what we spend most of our time doing, our passions, talents and gifts usually have a huge role to play.

Never get rid of what you’re passionate about, as long as that passion doesn’t harm you or anyone, and is a virtuous and worthy passion. Keep those kinds of passions blazing inside of you. What we are passionate about is part of who we are; it’s what energizes and motivates us. Let that kind of passion kindle a fire that will blaze and cause you to change the world in some way, whether small or big. Never let it die. Keep your passions blazing. 

Naturally You

I know this title sounds like some beauty advert where the company of a beauty product is trying to get you to buy their stuff through manipulation. But believe me, this isn’t an advert. I’m not trying to sell you anything. This is a blog post encouraging you to be who you were made to be.

Each one of us was designed by an amazing Creator. Each one of us was made for a purpose. That purpose is to glorify God through our gifts and in the way we live. We have a role to play in God’s Story where He is the central character. God didn’t make you to be someone else. He uniquely made you to be you. Naturally you.

God made us the way we look and who we are for a reason. He gave us certain talents and abilities because they define who we are and give some diversity to this world. He gave them to us for a reason. He made you to be yourself, not to act like someone you’re not.

It’s amazing how God made us. Reading biology for school just reveals to me more and more of what an awesome God I serve. The fact that He made each tiny cell in a specific way each with a specific function, and that those cells are grouped into tissues, tissues into organs and organs into systems is astounding. It shows that God is intensely detailed and is a genius. And that’s a huge understatement. It also shows that you were no accident; you were knitted together by a mighty Creator who loves you and I more than we can ever know.

Sometimes, though, it’s difficult not to compare ourselves to others and wish we were different or looked differently. Sometimes we wish we could be more like, or actually be, someone else. But I have some good news: in God’s eyes, not one person is better or prettier than another.

You are the best person that you can be. Yes, we’re not perfect and we all have things to work on. Bu we still need to be our true selves, letting our personality and talents shine through us. Most importantly, however, we need to let Jesus shine through us, for we were ultimately made for God. To serve, love and glorify Him. This is a high and wonderful calling. But to follow that calling, we have to naturally be ourselves. We can’t blend into the tide where everyone is the same.

We need to be who we were made to be. If you just put someone else’s mask on, you’ll be robbing the world of a truly precious and beautiful thing: you. The natural and unique person that you are would be lost. Don’t rob yourself of who are but be who you were meant to be. Be naturally you.

My Little Spot in the World

I live on a plot, where the house is surrounded by a very large garden. Beyond this garden is what we call the bush or veld, which are sections of fields. Our property isn’t very big; it’s just a plot, but there are spots out in the veld (an Afrikaans words meaning “field”) where I like spend time alone; just me, myself and God.

There is a section of our plot which has recently become my favourite outdoors spot. To get there, I creep out to the back of the house, hop over the short barb-wire fence (barely making it) and walk along a thin path, preferably barefoot (just don’t tell my dad that detail). I stroll along this path in somewhat of a day dreaming mood until I reach my little spot in the world.

Now don’t get too excited. It’s not a place of intensely breathtaking beauty, as the small city I live in isn’t known for being pretty (or much else). However, since I love nature and beauty, I’m able to find beauty if I look for it. I find this place pretty in its own way and it is my sanctuary of peace and alone time, unless of course my younger siblings are playing in the tree house at the edge of the garden. It’s amazing how far their voices travel and how they talk so loudly that you wouldn’t think that they were standing right next to each other. Even though this place may not have much significance, it is still my haven of nature.

In the first part of my spot, there are a few tall gum trees, with branches stretching to the sky that are full of ever-green/gold leaves. At the foot of these trees, the ground slopes ever-so-slightly to reach a tiny gathering of small gum trees, where I was sitting when I previously wrote this. Beyond this place is a small open field sheltered by under-sized trees (like me), which is full of yellow-green grass. The sun was streaming gently through the tips of the long tendrils of grass, causing them to glow. The sun spreads through the golden-green leaves of more small gum trees at the end of the field. This grove of trees is what my brother and I called the Forest of Joy when we were younger, though you can hardly call it a grove, never mind a forest!

Though my favourite place to sit is by the tall gum trees or gathering of small ones, I love to walk through the grass and amongst the grove of trees, just enjoying the peace and my Heavenly Father’s company.

This is the spot where I like to day dream and star dream (I don’t recommend sleepy dreams here though, as you’ll wake up feeling stiff and full of bark, leaves and sticks). This is the spot to sometimes write and talk to my Best Friend, Jesus. This is my spot to find inspiration and to be alone. This is my little spot in the world.

Land of the Dreamers

Dreamers come from a different land. Or more accurately, they go to a different land when they dream. Dreams are amazing things that require some imagination. There are three types of dreams that I have come across (if you can think of more, let me know):

★Day Dreams

★Star Dreams

★Sleepy Dreams

Day Dreams - “All in a Dayz”

“Visionary creation of the imagination”                     

-Merriam-Webster’s dictionary (a definition of “dream”)

Day dreaming really sweeps you off to the land of the dreamers. People who day dream all the time are often very amusing. You can be having a serious conversation and then they say something that has nothing to do with it. Another funny thing about day dreamers is that they are so often out of things and seldom know what’s going on.

I must admit that I have been accused of being totally out of things. Though I’m not always off in “la la land” like some people, I can sometimes be so deep in my thoughts or way off in the land of the dreamers that I won’t even be listening to the conversation going on.

The time that I found to be the most appropriate for day dreaming when I was younger was when my mom was reading history or science aloud to my brother and I during school. It’s no wonder I got most of the questions wrong at the end of the lesson!

Unfortunately, you can’t travel with day dreamers to their land of dreams. You just have to make your own land. People who are creative and imaginative are often also day dreamers. So if you often go off in a daze and people tease you about it, don’t worry; you’re one of the people who are going to throw some colour into this world!

Star Dreams -“Light Years”

“Strongly desired goal or purpose”

-Merriam-Webster’s dictionary (a definition of “dream”)

This is the most wonderful type of dream. But it’s also the most disappointing and difficult. When our dreams don’t come true, we’re tempted to give up on them. Let me tell you something though: never give up on your dreams. Never stop dreaming. God can take you dreams, if they are good and according to His purpose, and turn them into a reality.

Sometimes our dreams take a long time to come true and we feel disheartened. In every disappointment we face, however, I believe that God has a good plan in it. Jesus loves everyone and He loves it when we dream good, big dreams. You may wonder why He doesn’t let some of those dreams come true, if He’s concerned about them. Often He doesn’t let some things happen the way we hoped it would because He knew that in the end that something would hurt us. Or maybe He has something better in store for us, something we can’t yet see.

So never stop dreaming. Dream of the wonderful things you want to do in your lifetime; dream of the things that you’d like to happen. Dream of good things; of things that you love and things that you are passionate about. Dream, and see what God will do.

So don’t leave the land of the dreamers. But as you dream, remember also that life isn’t always easy; that we will face disappoints and trials, and that our dreams won’t always come true. When you face these times, don’t give up and remember that Jesus is always with you! Dream of the “light years” that will come amidst the darkness!

Sleepy Dreams --“Nighties”

“Series of thoughts, images or emotions during sleep.”

-Merriam-Webster’s dictionary (a definition of “dream”)

I’ve been doing some research on dreams and I find it very interesting how people are trying to come up with reasons why we dream during sleep. No one can come up with a scientific reason why we dream at night. Dreams are mysterious, with no apparent reason for being there. Whatever the reason is for why we do off to the land of the dreamers, I have had some pretty crazy dreams in my life.

Once I dreamt that one of those robots for kids, that they used sell in the shops, was chasing me up and down the aisles, and I couldn’t switch it off. Another time I dreamt that two friends of mine disappeared from a hotel into to another land and that I went in search of them. But my favourite dreams are those of when I am flying. I love that feeling of soaring through the air, way above the ground and trying to go as fast as I can.

Even my pets dream. I know that, not because they told me so (sorry to disappoint you, but I can’t talk to animals), but because of the movements they make in their sleep. Our one dog’s legs starts moving, as if he’s chasing a rabbit in his dreams, and it is really funny to watch.

Unfortunately, we also have bad dreams. The only good thing about nightmares is the fact that they aren’t real. Besides bad dreams, I enjoy going to the land of the dreamers during the night, especially if the dream is funny or pleasant.

We may not know why we dream, but just enjoy the creativity of the mind when you do dream good dreams. So good night and dream sweet in your nighties tonight. ;)

Dynamites come in small packages

Short-girl’s syndrome exists. I should know since I have the disease badly. Some people are born with this syndrome, like me, and others develop it later on in life. Some symptoms of short-girl’s syndrome are as follows:

·       Stunted height (or shortness)

·       Loudness

·       Developing a slightly cheeky attitude

·       The mentality to be a bit pushy in a teasing way

·       And last, but not least, the feeling of annoyance and dislike if anyone mentions anything of you being short.

If you have these symptoms then you are infected with short-girl’s syndrome. But don’t worry, this syndrome isn’t contagious or dangerous, though it may give you slightly lower outlook on your surroundings than others.

 Anyone who knows me will agree that I have this syndrome and they love to tease me about it. I have a suspicion that people at tennis purposefully lob the ball high so that it bounces  over my head and out of my reach. Oh how they love to laugh at me when they see I that no matter how hard I try, I can’t hit the ball back!

There is something my mom taught me when I was younger and sensitive about my height. She taught me the saying that dynamites came in small packages. This basically means that you may look seemingly small (whatever your height may be) and incapable of anything truly significant but that on the inside, you are capable of impacting people and this world in an amazing way. Never think that you’re too small or insignificant to make good changes in this world because dynamites come in small packages.

And if you are infected with short-girl’s syndrome like me, remember that you are just a dynamite in a small package. So world, don’t be fooled by my height. Watch out, because I am a dynamite in a small package!

First Day of Blogging

This blogging all starting by my friend and I not having much to do. So she suggested, or rather insisted, that I start a blog and here I am now typing my first blog ever. You can expect posts about once a week or whenever I get my hands on something interesting to write. So that's all for now, goodbye until next time!
-Jess