Michael Ball is right, Love Changes Everything...
JANE and I were in Kyiv in 2018, as you can see.
We were visiting our now-daughter-in-law’s family with our son, his bride to be and her parents, all of whom were born in Ukraine. We have of course intended to return, for Kyiv was a beautiful city, and we were drawn to it in a way that we haven’t been drawn to many other places we’ve seen.
But first Covid meant travel restrictions on flights for everybody; then `Our Lad` and his fiancée got married which obviously took precedence; and then unbelievably a year ago, the Russians invaded, so that now none but the foolhardy, or those with menfolk still in Ukraine, or with dependent friends or relatives, go there any longer. Our daughter in law’s Gran, Aunts, Cousins, were amongst the first to come out and to settle here in Hinckley.
For them there was a difficult and protracted journey out of Ukraine in a small van, seven of them plus a dog; and then several weeks stay in Poland petitioning our government offices; before they secured Visas to come to the safety of here where we live. Since then, during these past twelve months, we have established HUGS, Hinckley Ukrainian Group Support, a weekly meeting, to help and support the (today) many incoming war-escaping refugees.
Kyiv was beautiful. But one of our HUGS returning recently to re-connect with close, and with elderly family after all this time apart from them, says of it now “I could not recognise that city. We have not been here almost one year. It’s grey and empty. There are no people at all. I feel very sad “Next week will include Valentine’s Day.
The love we shall reflect on, on that day, will mostly be romantic, I guess. But love in the Bible has lots of objectives.
We are called upon primarily to Love God Himself, with everything we are and everything we have. We are thereafter reminded that loving one’s neighbour goes hand in hand with the aforementioned, and then after that there is also instruction to love one another and yes, even to love our enemies!
Sometimes following Jesus can be really hard! But that difficulty is also God’s way of saying “Shall I help you with that?
Indeed, shall I help you with all of it so that what comes out from you is nearer to what comes out of Me than you just giving everything whatever is your own your best shot?”
Michael Ball once sang “Love changes everything” and he’s right!
Right so long as the love we wax lyrical about is God’s love for us (“God so loved the World”) which He first calls us to experience, then to be changed by, and then to express to others. Leo Tolstoy once said that everyone wants to change the world but no-one wants to be changed themselves.
Pray for Ukraine. Pray for Russia too. Pray for Peace. Pray for Love. Give, and give, and give again. Pray for God to bring Russian forces safely back within their own borders and so give our Ukrainian refugees the opportunity to make decisions about their future, and to return safely home if they so choose. Happy Valentine’s Day. (Written just before the earthquakes in Turkey. Today then there are many more reasons to pray, to love and to give)