It is the season of love and in celebration of Valentine’s Day, we spoke to five women who shared what love means to them. They also had beautiful words from their hearts to say to their husbands. Love is indeed a beautiful thing!
LAURIE IDAHOSA
Pastor, Motivational speaker and author
Love is one of the strongest forces in the universe. It is more powerful and has longevity that surpasses two invaluable actions and foundations of our Christian life, faith and hope (I Cor. 13:13).
Love is underrated and trivialised as being about romantic notions or butterflies in the tummy however, it is so much deeper than that. Love is an enduring, forgiving, loyal, steadfast and powerful bonding agent that keeps unlikely things together, despite all the odds (Col. 3:14).
Living with another person from a different race and culture in the bonds of marriage is naturally a recipe for problems, however, with God’s love ruling our lives, it can be (and is) a remarkably rich and fulfilling experience.
Love is committing to one another despite the hardships and the valleys of life. Love is unfailing. Love is standing together in the highest and the lowest times in life.
Bishop Feb Idahosa
Bishop Dr. Feb Idahosa, when I say I love you my husband, I am not referring to the joy I feel when you do special things for me and our three sons, I’m not referring to the many gifts you give me, the romantic vacations or the money you spend on me. I appreciate those things, but they only appeal to my earthly senses and my temporal desire to be by your side.
When I say I love you, I am speaking from a deeper place. I am declaring my loyalty, my commitment and my covenant driven vow that so come what may, this will be forever.
Sweetheart, I love you. I treasure all that you are and all that you always will be. I will remain your lover, your best friend, your confidant and your playmate from now until eternity. Happy Valentine’s Day to my enduring, forever love.
ICHECHI OKONKWO (CEO of Lagos)
CEO, Victoria Crest Homes
Love means different things to different people. For some, it is calling or replying to a text at 02:00 am to share ‘I Love You’.
For a mother, staying awake until 12:00am to make sure her baby sleeps and is properly tucked in, or waking up to her baby’s cries to ensure the baby is fed even when it is not comfortable, for her is love.
For a father, it is working overtime because he does not want to be irresponsible when it comes to providing for his family, he never wants to be called an infidel. It is the commitment for that child who knows it is necessary to send his aged parents something to sustain them no matter how small, every time.
There is no absolute definition as to the many sides that love can have. It is described as almost anything and everything to different people, an iced latte, amazing sweater, lovely scenery, the smell of soil, the view of nature, and so on are all capable of birthing the “I love it” exclamation that springs out of the receiver’s lips when they experience something that is heart stirring.
Love has various types. For couples in long-term relationships, love means loyalty and commitment. For the college students in the center of their first real relationship, love may feel complicated. Herein lies the reason why love can be a complex and multifaceted emotion that can be defined in various ways. It can refer to feelings of affection and attachment, as well as a deep and abiding affection and concern for the well-being of others.
It is a force stronger than nature, it is magical and can defy all odds. It is ready to weather many storms, break walls to go through and lay down everything.
Love can be romantic in nature, I mean the love between two people in a romantic relationship, but it can also be platonic, just like the love between friends or family members. Love can be selfless, characterised by a willingness to put the needs of others before one’s own.
Love is a garden that can be cultivated between two people and grow over time, through getting to know each other and experiencing life’s many ups and downs together. Love can also be shared among a group of persons in the case of family ties and friendships.
It involves commitment, time, mutual trust, communication and acceptance. Love can inspire and uplift, but it can also lead to pain and heartache.
Love, if fully expressed, has the ability to improve our mental health, skyrocket our self esteem and increase our immunity. It can even save a dying world and mend hurting hearts, this is evident in the case of Jesus Christ.
Every ounce of our being has been wired to express love and at intervals we tend to express this either by giving, showing it or going out of our way.
Overall, love has its source from God. God is love and He expresses His love to us His children in various ways and in various capacities daily. In spite of our human nature, He loves us unconditionally, which is the true meaning of love.
Love is patient and kind, it’s not envious, it is not proud or boastful, it is not self righteous or self seeking, does not delight or rejoice in evil, love protects, trusts, hopes and preserves. This is the love our Father gives and if a person serves and honours God truly, then his behaviour towards his fellow will reflect this true love of God.
This is what love means to me and more, I believe love is powerful and retains the ability to change the world!
NED OKONKWO
I don’t need a special occasion to express my love to you because every day, you are the reason why I look forward to the next day. Ours is a big, purposed partnership orchestrated in heaven, tested and tried for the past 13yrs+, built from foundation to last as we remain committed to each other and for me, that is the greatest blessing.
Thank you so much for making my world sparkle, for the best gifts of love, our three amazing children, thank you for being the best part of our life on earth, thank you for being my daily inspiration to excel and be more. I love you so much My King, My Dr Ned. Happy Valentine’s Day!
BISI ADAMU
Creative Director of Pro Thirty-One Designs
God is love and love is God. The best way to learn how to show love is to emulate how God loves us, God did not just tell us that He loves us, He showed us that He loves us. This means love is active not passive. How did He demonstrate His love to us? He did by giving to us. It’s the way He gives to us, when we are good and when we are bad, when we are thankful and when we are unthankful, He raised the bar so high and He says we should do the same to our fellow brothers and sisters.
So, for me, love means to give yourself, your time, your efforts and your resources to someone, especially someone who doesn’t deserve it. That is love.
JOSHUA ADAMU
Joshua Adamu, I want you to know that I love you so much and I love how you give your best to me and to our children even when it’s not convenient for you. I love how you go out of your way to help me in my ministry. Your support is very evident to all, and I am so grateful for it. Joshua temi nikan, if I were to do this all over again, it would still be you! Happy Lovers Day Sweetheart!
ADEOLA OLUBAMIJI
Nigerian/Canadian Scientist, Career Clarity Coach
To me, love means total commitment, transparency, caring for, and partnering with each other for a lifetime. Aside from this, love means having a genuine connection that causes one to finish the other’s sentences. When you love someone genuinely, you prioritise what makes them happy, and build them up selflessly.
In our marriage, we have learnt that love grows when we intentionally choose to work on it together. The same way we strive to seek education to advance our careers, we are committed to continually learning about each other, communicating our thoughts frequently, spending quality time together regularly, appreciating each other’s strengths, and learning about strategies to help our marriage and bond grow.
OLUBAMIJI
My King,
Life may throw things at us, we may move across the ocean for adventures, we may take life-changing risks, but so long as we are doing it together, I know we can beat anything, be anything and everything. The last 4 years have been the most amazing years of my career, life, business and relationships. With you, I can dream to take over the world and know for sure that I will see that dream come true. I wouldn’t have made the move to another country without you, I wouldn’t have 10 times my compensation within 4 years without you, and I know for sure that I wouldn’t have made a director position without you. Also, starting my own businesses and owning multiple homes would never have happened for me if I wasn’t with you. From the beginning, you have made me see how good I am, how bigger I was than I thought of myself, and how much I can become. Thank you for giving me wings so I can fly while you clap for me, thank you for being there for me when I am scared and unclear, for brainstorming with me to ensure my ideas become realities, thank you for reassuring me daily that I can count on you, and for gifting me the finest things. I am thankful that I get to do life with you and your child is the luckiest having such an incredible daddy. I can’t imagine my life without you. I love you now and will love till infinity and beyond!
FUNTO IBUOYE
CEO, Five28
Being married for almost 9 years now, I’ve come to understand that love is more than butterflies in my tummy or the “mushy-mushyness” that we see in the movies. Love to me is a decision to give my heart to serving and honouring my partner on days I feel like, as well as on days I don’t feel like. Love is more than feelings, it’s a commitment to be there through the ups and the downs of life. To love is to believe, to bear, to persevere, through all seasons.
MY DEAREST ADUNAYEMI
My dearest Odunayemi, this would be our 10th Valentine together and what a journey it has been. A journey I cannot imagine going on with anyone else, it just had to be you and I’m most grateful for the privilege of having to do life and destiny with you.
On this particular Valentine’s Day, I want you to know that I’m truly grateful for you specifically in the following ways:
I’m grateful for your love and relationship with God, this was one of the things that I really liked about you when we first met over a decade ago, and even though you didn’t have much materially at the time, I just knew that there was no way you could be that close to God and it won’t eventually show materially. I’ve watched you grow and evolve in your relationship with God and it’s really such a joy for me to see how you submit to His leadings, how you submit to His pruning and corrections, how you run to Him for answers and direction.
I’m grateful our sons and even our daughter have a model in you for what a practical walk with God looks like. I love that they see you pray often, take prayer walks, study the Bible and watch sermons on TV, even if they may not fully understand yet, I’m grateful these seeds are being sown in their hearts. Thank you for indeed being a priest over our family.
I’m grateful for how you love and lead me, gosh!!! you make submitting to you easy. Thank you for your commitment to my growth in all ramifications whether personal, spiritual or entrepreneurial. Thank you for allowing me to soar and shine, and supporting me through and through. Even though you don’t always love me the way that I expect you to, thank you for the efforts you put in to be better at that. Thank you for the times you pray for me. Thank you for all the prayer walks that go from prayers to deep conversations, those are one of my favourite things to do with you!! I’m grateful for your wisdom in leading our family, I’m grateful for the risks you allow me to take, living a life of faith and total trust in God has been absolutely worth it with you by my side.
I could go on and on as there’s so much to be grateful for, I just want you to know that in this season of love and Valentine celebration, my heart is truly full of gratitude for our journey so far and I’m beyond grateful for the privilege of having to do life with you!!!!!!!
I truly truly love you Adunayemi, Happy Valentine’s Day!!!
