A Love Note.

Whenever I think about love,  I think about the latin phrase, ‘Nemo dat quod non habet,’ which means, ‘You cannot give what you do not have.’

In the Bible there’s a passage about two sisters, Mary and Martha. Jesus went to the house of these two sisters to teach one day. Mary chose to sit at His feet and receive from His teachings while Martha chose to work tirelessly to serve Him. Martha wanted everything to be perfect and began to get frustrated because she was doing all the work and her sister wasn’t helping. She said to Jesus, “Jesus, will You tell Mary to get up and come help me? There’s so much that needs to be done here, and I’m the one doing all the work.”

I think we mostly approach love with the same attitude as Martha, where we are so busy trying to get others to see how hard we’re working. Martha was probably saying in her head, “Jesus, do you see how hard I’m working? Do you see how overwhelmed I am trying to do things for you?” If she had said that out loud, I imagine that Jesus would’ve responded saying, “Martha, I’m super glad that you have a strong work ethic, but Mary is doing the right things. Mary is doing what is needed. She’s chosen to take time to be in my presence. She’s taken this opportunity to receive from me, and she’s set aside everything else to focus on this moment.“ 

It’s very easy to pursue busy-ness and activity, and miss out on the little moments that can change our lives. If we make ourselves present to receive God’s love, we can give that love to others each day. But if we don’t experience that love, and fill our hearts with the power of it, then giving becomes a chore….and we can’t give what we don’t have. 

So, I want to urge you to take time out to RECEIVE love, from God, from friends, from family, from your lover, from your kids, from strangers. Be open to receiving - because it is from here, that you can give!

Happy Valentines Day, and I Love You!

xx

-Adaora ‘Lumina,’ Mbelu