Alano and his wife in Mozambique(Photo: Leprosy Mission)
Since Valentine's Day 2020 the world, as we know about it, has changed beyond recognition.
A global pandemic has forced us into our homes; unable to see many of our loved ones. Our love of adventure has been thwarted with planes grounded and borders closed. The exhilaration of new landscapes and cultures now firmly out of reach.
But while our physical movements have been sorely limited, love doesn't stop. In fact, if we look carefully, the green shoots of love nurtured during lockdown are all around.
Friendships sparked between neighbours who, for years, have dashed past one another, too busy to pass the time of day. The purposeful check that an elderly or clinically-vulnerable person has all they need to stay at home and avoid infection. Or a simple call made to someone living alone; their once-desired peaceful haven having morphed into four walls of loneliness.
Love knows no distance, barriers or borders. We still love at a social distance and from afar. As Christians we are called to love and that love changes lives. It sounds trite to say that love can change the world. But it truly can! Valentine's Day is not a day to dwell on hardened hearts, more an opportunity to be awestruck by what love can do... CT.
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