Christians should have that insatiable desire to tackle the injustices of the world. It's called love. God put it there and wants to fan it into a fire.
And then there's romantic love – that desire that marketeers exploit around Valentine's Day.
When ten-year-old Martin was asked what people do on a date, he said, 'they just tell each other lies and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date.' When Kirsten, also aged ten, was asked how you decide who to marry she said, 'No person really decides before they grow up who they're going to marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you're stuck with.'
The women of the village are now seen as equal by their community
Ah, so young! Whether you agree with Martin or have a sneaking suspicion that Kirsten may be right, one thing is clear: you can't rely solely on romantic love for motivation. It's the desire we get from God that ultimately fuels our love for others. This is why at Tearfund our work with church-based partner projects is built on the knowledge that the inspiration God gives us to love others will never dry up.
You might buy Fairtrade coffee or use your church worship to inspire a hunger for justice. However you do it, do it with the love of God inside you.
Like the Health and Hope Project in Dapegaon, west India, run by Tearfund partner Emmanuel Hospital Association. Women who had been shunned and ostracised because they were living with HIV were helped to set up a grocery business, a tailoring business and a livestock bank. Now people in their community buy from them and see them as equals.
‘Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.’ Matthew 5:42