I LOVE YOU!
How excited do you get when you hear these words?
Anytime Laura hears “I LOVE YOU”, she begin to blush uncontrollably, her dark cheek skin turns pink in an instant, I just Shake-My-Head.
One day after work, I and the girls were out for drinks, it was a Friday night. We were about to have a second round of shots when Laura’s phone rang; her face lit up like the rising sun, it was some guy she met two weeks ago. She was all smiles and giggling and the call ended with <em>“I Love you too”. </em>The rest of that night was about this guy, she went on and on about how he makes her feel like she has butterflies in her belly and how the adrenaline rush causes her heart to race like the cars in the movie “Fast and Furious”; even faster she said. And I’m left wondering, what is this thing called love? Because my girl looks silly every time she talks about love….
I threw in a debate and Titi goes “love as a 50/50 partnership; a two-way street, an exercise of give and take – I called you today so you should call me tomorrow”. Annabelle believes Loving someone is never letting go no matter what; Chichi says she thinks that being loved cures loneliness, so people just love for security reasons; and lastly, our dear Laura said her love was at first sight, and love to her is more about attraction. The rest of that night is history now.
Even though I initiated the discussion, I just listened and kept nodding at all they said, and then I started to explain my understanding of love:
For centuries, many people have composed music, poems, and stories that have given us different definitions about the cycle of love; the way it morphs and changes over time, the way passion grabs us by our flung-back throats and then leaves us heartbroken in some cases but not in every. Young lovers tend to reference tales of Romeo & Juliet, Titanic and the likes as model for their love story but fail to realise that these are mostly fictions, scripted for entertainment.
I believe one cannot truly love another until you understand the love of God. 1 Corinthians 13:4 describes the qualities of love – Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. Love bears all things (patiently accepts, always supports), Love believes all things (always has faith), Love hopes all things (never gives up) and Love endures all things (always persevere). Love is the greatest spiritual gift of all, given greater than hope and faith (1 Corinthians 13: 13). Love is not boastful, love is not judgemental, love is not jealous, love is not mixing good looks and definitely not the amount of money someone can spend on you. Although love may mean diverse things to different people (especially one without the true knowledge of God); the characteristics of love are the same and should be evident in every relationship.
True Love seeks nothing in return, only to bring out the very best in you. It teaches you compassion, patience and selfless giving. True love doesn’t leave you broken, it makes you stronger. So when next you hear the word LOVE, think of it as an “action” that propels you to be a better person; a genuine desire to nurture, care and inspire someone to unleash their potentials. A force of gravity that ensures you are constantly evolving and working towards achieving your dreams.
Now I can confidently say “I LOVE YOU”… I have written this article with you in mind because I want you to be a better person and have a better understanding of this thing called love.
By BRIDGET OKUMA