This is a question I am constantly asking. Since my name means ‘to love’, I suppose I’m born to do it but how can I if I don’t know what it means. First and foremost I believe

…God is love (1 John 4:8)

So everything that embodies love, God is, that’s why he says “I am who I am” (Exodus 3:14).  If I was to say that I don’t know if love would be part of the list, I’m just being honest, I’m mean for one, I’m really impatient and when I read Paul’s definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13 the first thing he says is “Love is patient” (verse 4). I’m really trying to be but I can say that patience is not something that comes natural to me, however God is extremely patient and not only do we take his love in this way for granted but we do it to the people around us who are patient with us and we probably don’t see that as love. Love to most us needs to be expressed tangibly which is also very important as Paul then goes onto say that “love is kind”. I can do kind, I give of my time and energy, money and material goods with ease and fortunately I have people around me who do the same. God again is ever so kind to us all, with the abundance of blessings he has bestowed upon us.

“Love does not envy”, that’s a hard one, the definition of envy is ‘Spite and resentment at seeing the success of another’. I say this is a hard one because it’s one that you can’t see, anyone can pretend to be happy for you on the surface but secretly they are like “oh why couldn’t that be me”. Lots of people, like to pretend they aren’t envious because they say there’s nothing you have that I want. However there is always somebody within your close circle of friends or family that has what you want. The way to deal with it is to be truly happy for that person and you will attract the same.

“Love does not boast”, all you have to do is look at Facebook and Instagram these days and see how many people you know are bragging about a new car, where they are in the world, what their boyfriend or girlfriend bought them etc. I hold my hand up I again am super guilty of this, in my mind was I showing off? No! But I can see in hindsight how it would look like I was.

“Love is not rude”…sigh is all I can say for that one.

“Love does not think about itself” there are times when I put others before myself but I think I need up my game on that one, maybe this will be more apparent when I become a parent, it has to…right?

“Love is not easily angered” sigh again…I can go from zero to one hundred real quick. The positive side to that is that I also go from one hundred to zero just as quick.

“Love keeps no record of wrongs” hmm this is a tricky one because I believe in forgiving and forgetting but at the same time how will you learn from past mistakes if you forget what people have done. Hurts do accumulate which in turn makes you cautious. I guess if someone is truly sorry I’m not saying they won’t hurt you again but maybe they would try to reduce the hurt by thinking before they act? I don’t know, I’m just throwing that out there, what are your thoughts?

“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth” I think people are becoming desensitised as to what evil really is these days, it’s not always so overt. However these days you just have to turn on the tv, read the newspapers or listen to certain songs to realise you are surrounded in corruption, if your eyes and ears are open to it. However what are we doing to stop it? If we do nothing does that mean we delight in it? No one person can solve all things that are wrong in the world today but you can start where you are. Start with you, stop listening to music that talks about nonsense, stop watching ratcheted TV programmes, just stop being a consumer of nonsense and embracing non moralistic ideologies. Rather start producing what you would like to hear and see out there in the world.

“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things…love never fails”. If you are anŷthing like me and think hmmm maybe I’m not doing so well at this love walk, just remember the very last line “love never fails”. After many failed relationships I was at the end of my teather and I had a friend staying with me at the time, her name is Sacha and she told me to ‘never give up on love’. Sure enough I didn’t and I’m back in a successful relationship with a wonderful man. However if I had given up on love I would have missed another great opportunity to demonstrate love again. I believe that all relationships are really the opportunity to demonstrate your love. It doesnt matter if you fail because you will get another opportunity. It was the failed attempts at the light bulb that enabled Thomas Edison to create the light bulb. I believe it’s the failed attempts at past relationships that will produce a successful life long relationship.  I hope that everyone will find love and endure in the love walk because it is truly one of the hardest things to do. Above all else never give up on love, love God with all your heart, soul and mind,and  keep striving to be the best you, you can be by loving yourself and loving others how you love yourself.