Valentine’s day is finally here!  We have been getting commercial reminders almost every day since New Year’s day.  Of course in the early hours of Valentines day it is not surprising that I’ve got love on my mind. Not the R&B, pop music or even rock ballad type of love but a deeper love.

Contrary to popular belief, love does not originate from Cupid. Our existence, as Christians is guaranteed forever because of Gods love for us (John 3:16). In fact God is love (1 John 4:8) and if He is love then so are we (1 John 4:17). This in my opinion, means that before we are individuals, we are love.

If you were asked to describe yourself would you use the word love in your description of yourself? Furthermore, if colleagues at work were asked to describe you, do you think they would use the word love?  1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 (NIV) beautifully and clearly provides us the characteristics of love:

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.”

Perhaps it might be a bit of a stretch for a colleague to use the exact word “love” to describe you but they might use some of the terms in the above description from the Bible. Are you patient? Are you kind? Are you respectful? Are you slow to anger? WHO ARE YOU IN THE WORKPLACE? I ask this all of this because as Christians we have a tendency to have 2 personalities. We have our work personality and we have our “home” personality, in which we are free to be our “true Christian selves”.

For what it is worth I can tell you that if you are a Christian,  you are love first and foremost, not doctor X or Lawyer Y or accountant Z, YOU ARE LOVE FIRST. In fact Jesus says that the greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. To contextualize this to the work environment, be patient with your colleagues, be kind to your colleagues, be cooperative, BE LOVE!

It’s Valentines day today, I am therefore challenging myself and you to BE LOVE! Be love not just to those close to you, but to your colleagues as well. In hindsight, I find that my great testimonies related to Gods provision and His protection within the work place can always be traced back to an act of kindness, patience, trust, perseverance or one of the other characteristics mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8. The opposite, is also true. Behind my struggles in the work place, there has been lies, impatience, self seeking, envy etc.

Love is who we are and we need to accept it at some point. You would be surprised what a difference it can make in your work environment!

God bless.

About the Author

Gladys Chandia is a project manager and co-founder of Notable Beginnings Consulting (NBC). NBC provides business development and business linkages (FDI facilitation) services for companies that wish to penetrate new markets on the African continent. For more information email gladys@notablebeginningss.com