Talitha Janse van Vuuren

Basic words/phrases in Chinese that I remember (day 1)

你 — nǐ — you
我 — wǒ — I / me
们 — men — plural marker (for people/pronouns)
有 — yǒu — to have
差 — chà — difference / poor / lacking
来 — lái — to come
很 — hěn — very
好 — hǎo — good
中国 — Zhōngguó — China
南非 — Nánfēi — South Africa
买 — mǎi — to buy
和 — hé — and
何 — hé — what / why / surname He
老师 — lǎoshī — teacher
吗 — ma — question particle
弟弟 — dìdi — younger brother
内内 — nèinèi — underwear / innerwear (informal)
他 — tā — he / him
她 — tā — she / her
你好 — nǐ hǎo — hello
再见 — zàijiàn — goodbye
谢谢 — xièxie — thank you
不客气 — bú kèqi — you’re welcome
没关系 — méi guānxi — it’s okay / no problem
人 — rén — person / people
是 — shì — to be / yes

Numbers:

一 — yī — one (1)
二 — èr — two (2)
三 — sān — three (3)
四 — sì — four (4)
五 — wǔ — five (5)
六 — liù — six (6)
七 — qī — seven (7)
八 — bā — eight (8)
九 — jiǔ — nine (9)
十 — shí — ten (10)

The Screwtape Letters: Chapter 1 notes

What I’m writing from these chapters are not the main points or even original intended meanings, they are just observations and thoughts that come up whilst reading.

The devil wants the things we consume and people we spend our time with to align with his worldview.

We often don’t realise how enslaved we are to the ordinary – how quickly food and ordinary life takes our minds away from the spiritual battle for souls.

It is a real thing that simple things in church or life that distract us when we are focusing on God, is actually the devil. We often don’t think about it like that or even care, as we are so used to living distracted lives, but it is so inefficient for the Kingdom if we don’t practice full devotion to God without so much stimulation the whole time. God needs our minds and hearts to be silent and for us to set our minds on Him.

That is what Colossians 3:2 speaks about: Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.” The devil wins when we are focused on temporary earthly concerns rather than heavenly, eternal values.

The screwtape letters by C.S. Lewis: Preface notes

“There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.“

The error I often see around me today, or the one I myself fall into most, I believe, is more to the materialist side rather than the magician. Both of these errors are pleasing to the devil – when people become obsessed with him, it distracts them from God and what they are supposed to do with their lives, and when people live as if the devil does not exist, they do not attempt to resist him in any way and he can do whatever he pleases.

I think that is why a book like this is so good to read. We often live in such ignorance to the schemes of the devil, and we do not lean into those things that defeats him in our daily lives enough. The way we understand things determine how we deal with things in life, so if we have a wrong understanding of the devil, we will deal with him wrongly.

The first thing the Screwtape Letters lets us know about the devil is that he is a liar and that he hates to be mocked. I cannot wait to read about the strategies and ways that the devil tries to keep us stuck and not living the lives God created us to live.

Figuring out work-life balance as a young person

A job can ask a lot from you without becoming your entire identity. Especially when you’re young, there’s often this pressure to “prove yourself” by always being available, always saying yes, always doing more. But constant availability is not the same thing as wisdom, growth, or excellence.

By Talitha Janse van Vuuren

Balance is understanding two things can be true at once:

You can work hard and care deeply.
You can still have boundaries, rest, relationships, faith, hobbies, and a life outside of work.

A healthy job should benefit from your skills – not slowly consume your peace, health, personality, creativity, and joy.

There’s a difference between:

occasional sacrifice during busy seasons
and
a permanent expectation that your whole life belongs to work.

Especially in freelance or creative roles, lines get blurry. Phones stay on. Messages come after hours. Weekends become “small favors.” Slowly you begin feeling guilty for resting. That is usually the warning sign that boundaries are disappearing.

Boundaries are not laziness.
Boundaries are clarity.

Things like:

not replying instantly at night
protecting one day to rest
having hobbies or personal projects
seeing family and friends
going to church
exercising
building your own future alongside your job
saying “I can do that tomorrow morning”
are normal human things – not selfish things.

And ironically, people often do better work when they are not emotionally exhausted all the time.

The balance usually looks like:

being reliable, proactive, and teachable during work
communicating clearly
helping when genuinely needed
but also recognising that your worth is not measured by how depleted you are

As a young person, it’s good to be hungry, disciplined, and willing to learn. But it’s dangerous to believe you must burn yourself out to deserve opportunity.

Even Jesus rested.
Even God designed Sabbath.

Christianly, balance is not choosing between ambition and peace – it’s refusing to worship productivity. Work matters, but it was never meant to replace your entire life.

A simple way to ask yourself whether balance is healthy:

“Does my work support my life, or is my life disappearing into my work?”

Because a career should grow you – not consume you.

Hard work still matters deeply. The Bible never promotes laziness, carelessness, or doing the bare minimum. Scripture speaks often about diligence, discipline, stewardship, and working with excellence. Jesus Himself worked – quietly, consistently, faithfully – long before public ministry. Work is good. Creating, building, serving, solving problems, and being dependable all reflect something of God’s character. The danger is not hard work itself – the danger is when work becomes your identity, your source of worth, or your master.

You can honour God through diligence and strong work ethic while still understanding that your soul was never designed to survive without rest, peace, worship, and healthy boundaries.