Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Foreign.
[00:00:07] Hello, and welcome to the Second Row Conversations podcast. I'm Letitia, also known as Lady P. And I'm so excited that you decided to join me on today. As always, as I begin always, I want to say thank you to all of you who have joined me on this journey. I appreciate your love and your support. It really, really means the world to me. So thank you. Thank you again.
[00:00:28] Before I go any further, I want to say happy birthday to my one and my only Janiyah. Thank you. Today is February 5th, and it is. My life will change forever on this day 24 years ago. So thank you for being an amazing young woman. I am so honored to be called your mama, and I can't wait to see all of the great things that God has in store for you. So happy birthday, Janiyah. All right, so it's February, guys, and what is February known for? Valentine's Day, the love month, if you will. So I wanted to start this month off with some information or some tidbits about love and how to have a purposeful life and love on people while you're having that perf. Purposeful life. So love and purpose, that's. That's what we're going to talk about today. Living a life of love. So again, because it's February, it's not necessarily we're going to talk about relationships, but. Right. Or romantic relationships. It's just being a person that loves people and how to love on people and why you living a life on purpose while doing that. While you're doing that loving on people at the same time. So that's what we're going to talk a little bit about today. Okay. All right.
[00:01:43] So love and purpose. Living a life of love, understanding the power of love and fulfilling our purpose. So I said all that to say that's what we're going to be talking about today. Okay, so just like we did the last time, I want to get some information, some scriptures, and then I'm going to have you answer some reflective questions. So we did it on the last podcast when we were talking about reset, and I hope your year of reset is going well. I hope there were some things that were shared that you could use and help you on this journey as you go through 2025. Okay? So love is not just an emotion. It is a calling and a way to. Of life. Love is what love does, okay? Our purpose is deeply connected to how we love and serve others. And God's love give us direction and meaning. There's no greater love than God's Love. And so his love to us gives us direction and meaning. 1 Corinthians 16:14 verse says, Let all that you do be done in love. Everything that you do should be done in love. And as we're doing it, we should reflect God's love, right? So no matter where you are, no matter what you're doing, your job, coming in contact with people at the store, just living life day to day, everything that you do should be done in love, right? So again, let all that you do be done in love. And now your reflection. Question. You ready?
[00:03:12] How has love or the lack of love shaped your purpose so far? How has it shaped you? How has love or the lack of love shaped your purpose so far? So pause me if you need to. I hope you have your notebook ready. I should have told you at the beginning, but I have your notebook ready. But answer that question for me, because there is a connection between love and purpose. It is. Our purpose is directly connected. So when you have a passion for something or when you feel like there's a purpose in your life, and we all have a purpose in our life, that purpose that you are working toward and trying to fulfill should be done because of your love that you have for that, right? So I love working with young people. I love counseling people, we meeting people where they are and trying to help them become better. And that is because I love seeing people grow into becoming better. And so that's what that connection is. Your purpose and your love should be all connected. All right, the next point. The foundation of love, God's purpose for us. God is love. That's found in First John 4, chapter 8, verse. And we are created in his image to love. Love is the greatest commandment. And living a life of love fulfills God's plan for us. All right?
[00:04:33] Matthew 22, chapter 20, second chapter. I'm sorry, verses 37 through 39 says, love the Lord your God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself, right? So if you follow those two commandments, loving the Lord your God with all of your heart, and then loving your neighbor as yourself, if you follow those two commandments, I promise you, you have covered all the bases.
[00:04:59] And that can be hard sometimes because not everyone you come in contact, you may feel should be loved because they are rude, disrespectful, have hurt you, and you may not want to love them, you feel like they aren't deserving of love. Even those who have committed what we consider the greatest of sins, murder, assaulting people, they too deserve love. And it's Hard. But if you love them as God loves us, if you love them with the love of God, then you have done what you're supposed to do. So if you follow those two commandments, loving the Lord your God with all your heart, and then loving your neighbor as yourself, then you're covered. Okay, so your reflection question for this point. How can you better love God and others in your daily life? That's a good question.
[00:05:51] Because we say we love God, right? We. We talk to people and we tell people, I love God, you don't love God. What's wrong with you? Y'all remember that. So we say we love God, but are we showing that in every way, in. In every day, everyday life, are we showing that we trul. Love God? Are we spending time with him?
[00:06:11] When you love someone, when you're in a relationship with someone, you want to spend time with them. If you don't, then you. If someone says they love you but they don't want to spend time with you, then you begin to question that love. So how are you showing God that you love him? And how can you show him better? And others, we talk about it, but are we being about it, right? Are you just giving them things? And some. For some people, that's what they feel like. If I just give you a gift, if I just give you items, then. Then that's showing that I love you. But it kind of goes with love languages. You don't. What is their love language? So if their love language is quality time, but you're giving them gifts, that's not filling their love language bank. So it's important to understand what their love language is. Okay, next point. Love as a guide to purpose.
[00:07:06] Love directs our choices, careers, and relationships. We just talked about that a little bit. True purpose is found in serving others with love.
[00:07:14] And when we love, we align our. We align with God's will for our lives. Talked a little bit about that earlier.
[00:07:22] Scripture is 1st John 4, 19th verse. We love because he first love us. And so it's important that every choice that we make is.
[00:07:36] Should be made because of love, right? So our career choices, our relationships, every choice that we make, even for our family and our children, is because we love them. And even if it's a. You have a conversation, they don't understand, especially our children, when you make a decision and. And they don't understand why you did it, then you have to explain to them, it's because I love you. I don't want you to go down this road. I see where you're going. And it hurts me. Even when you have a loved one or a friend who is dealing with addiction and you have to make the hard choice of telling them, I can't support you in this anymore. And it's hard, but you have to remember and they have to also understand that it is done because of the love that you have for them. So every choice that we make is directed by love.
[00:08:34] And when you are truly serving others, it should be done in love. It should not be done out of obligation. You shouldn't feel like you're obligated to serve others. And people will know, people will understand, people will feel it. Our church has started doing a Bible study at a one of the local homeless shelters. We did it last month and we'll be going every month.
[00:08:56] Actually, we did it this month. Well, it's February, right? So in January we did it. And it was a labor of love, but it was an amazing experience. They blessed us more than we blessed them. And I can't wait for us to go back to spend time with them. But when you truly serve people and you love what you do, people will get that again. It goes back to loving others, loving your neighbor as you love yourself, right? So when you love on people, genuinely, authentically love on people, they will know it. They will feel it. So the reflection question is, is your purpose in life driven by love or are there areas where. Where self interest takes over? That's a good question. Um, is the purpose in your life driven by what is. Is it. What's in it for you?
[00:09:49] Okay, what's in it for you? And that shouldn't be. Now, I'm not saying you shouldn't make decisions. That's going to be the best for you. That's not what I'm saying. But I'm just saying there may be times where you have to make decisions, where you have to put your self interest on the back burner. But because of love, again, dealing with family members who may be struggling, dealing with a child that may be just off track, a loved one, a husband, a wife, someone that may be off track. And you have to make those hard decisions. Are you the purpose? Are you. Is your purpose in life driven by love or self interest? Are you putting yourself before others?
[00:10:27] Got to think about that. That's the reflection question. Okay, the next point, the different expressions of love in purpose. So excuse me. There are different types of love. We kind of talked about that earlier, but different types of love. There's the agape love. That's the unconditional love. In action, serving others. There is Philia and Philia love. That's building relationships, strengthening communities and families. So that's like your community, your family, your friends. And then there's the eros love. That's your romantic commitment. Love with faithfulness and purpose. Commitment. That's the word a lot of people don't like to talk about, especially in relationships.
[00:11:16] They get in them and go, hmm, yeah, no, this is not it. I'm over it. And at the first obstacle, so commitment. So again, there is agape love. That's unconditional love in action, serving others. There's the Ophelia, and I may be saying it wrong, so please forgive me. Building relationships. That's your community, your friends. And then there's the romantic, the eros love. Love with faithfulness and purpose. That's your commitment. Okay, the scripture for that one is. For that point is Galatians 5 and 13. You serve one another humbly in love. So whether it is your agape love, which is the love that God has for us is serving your. Your serving others, or you're building your relationships, your friendships, your co workers. Loving on your co workers because you are. You spend a lot of time with them. So you are. You sh. There should be some type of love that you have amongst yourself. I know people get on this, you know, go to work, do your job, and go home. But I truly believe that there should be some type of love within your team. At least that's what we have at my team. On my team, we love each other. And then you have your romantic love, right? So serving one another humbly in love, you serve one another. If I'm serving you, you serving me in love, then we. We should be okay. Even in those times of this, disagreements, misunderstandings, you should be able to come back and have a conversation. Right? Okay.
[00:12:54] The reflection question for that point. Which type of love do you need to grow in? And how can you practice it more intentionally? Wow. Which area do you need? Which type of love do you need to grow in? Only you can answer that question, right? Only you can.
[00:13:11] But I hope you take some time to reflect on that and figure out and try to think about which one do you need to work on? And be honest with yourself and work on it. Be intentional in trying to improve that. Okay, next point. Overcoming challenges. Challenges to living a life of love.
[00:13:30] Selfishness and pride can hinder love. Wow. Love requires patience, kindness, and forgiveness.
[00:13:39] Through prayer and faith, we can love even when it's hard. And that's why I just talked about even when you have disappointments, even when you have misunderstandings, disagreements, heated fellowship, that's what, you know, I say, my husband, I have heated fellowship. Even in those times, you should still love through patience, kindness and forgiveness. Okay, The Scripture is First Corinthians 13, chapter verses 4 through 7. Love is patient, love is kind.
[00:14:11] Yeah.
[00:14:14] So when those times come up and you are aggravated, you, you have to come back and think, you know what love is patient, love is kind. Love is not selfish. I had to remember that. So those times where I feel like this is what I want and this is what I'm going to do, and you can't tell me, you have to take some time and reflect, go back, remember that love is patient. And that's with all types of. That's. That's romantic relationships, that's community.
[00:14:44] That's wherever you are in. In this climate, in this season that we're in, it's hard.
[00:14:51] It's hard to have that selfish sense of love in your community because sometimes people come across and it's not always.
[00:15:01] They're not always loving, we'll say like that. But at the end of the day is, what are you doing to show God's love? Right. Okay. So the reflection question is, what challenges keep you from loving others fully and how can you overcome them? Is it the fear of being disappointed? If I love unconditionally, will they love me back? Will they hurt me?
[00:15:25] If I love and I put my myself on the back burner, will people appreciate that or will they try to run over me? And I understand how that can hinder you from wanting to love fully. But at the end of the day, God wants us to love.
[00:15:41] We go back to the two commandments, right?
[00:15:45] Love God, love people, and you gonna be all right. Okay. All right. So next point, love as a legacy impacting the world.
[00:15:55] Our love leaves a lasting impact on others. Love inspires and transforms lives.
[00:16:03] What legacy of love are you leaving behind?
[00:16:08] I talk about my dad often. He loved unconditionally when he met you. From the first time he met you, would meet you, he loved you and he would let you know that he loved you. He would show you that he loved you. And now that he is gone on, his legacy still lasts. His legacy of love still is here. When I meet people and talk to them, especially in the church organization he was part of, he was an AME pastor. So when I meet people and I tell them who my dad was, they immediately tell me how amazing he was and how he just. His love helped them through so many Things, his words of wisdom. And that's just the guy he was right? So he taught us, his children, how to love on people unconditionally. He taught his grandchildren how to do the same. And so I'm so grateful for the legacy that he left behind. And so we have to remember that love inspires and transforms lives. He, as a pastor, did he always agree, did the members always agree with him? Absolutely not. They didn't. But because he loved them, honestly, he loved them and they knew it, they appreciate it, they respected him. And so that's how we have. We should live our life. When you love on people, that leaves a legacy. People will remember how you treat them. They will always remember how you treat them. They may not remember every little detail about you, you know, the day you were born, your birthday, they may not remember a whole lot about you, but the way you treat them, they will always remember that. And so when we are loving on people, we should remember that this is leaving a legacy. This is going to transform their lives. And so we don't want their lives transformed in a negative way. Think about someone that has loved on you. Think about someone that has that, that helped you through hard times, and it was their love for you. And so that's what we should leave as well. Okay, the scripture, Colossians, third chapter, 14th verse, it states, above all these, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
[00:18:22] Right? Above all these things, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. It puts it all together. Love will. Right? So chaos is going on, the craziness is going on. Put on love, and it binds together everything in perfect harmony. Okay, reflection, question. If someone were to describe your life, would love be one of the main things they mention?
[00:18:52] Wow.
[00:18:53] What would they say? Would love be one of the things that they mention about you?
[00:18:58] And if not, then we need to do some. Some reflection. We need to think about. Why wouldn't they? So ask your friends, like, ask them that question.
[00:19:09] If someone were to describe. How would you describe me? Would love be a part of that description? Right.
[00:19:17] And if not, then you need to think about it. Why wouldn't it? Why wouldn't it be?
[00:19:23] I'm not saying we're perfect. Right? I'm not. That's not what I'm saying. But what I do want us to remember is that as we live in this life, as we are here doing what we do, then love should be a part of what we do. And that's God's love that reflects off of us. Okay? So we have to Remember that in closing, reflection and commitment. So just a few, couple of questions. How can you live a life of love? Daily, every day, wake up in the morning after you do your prayer and your meditation. That can be a question you ask, how can I live a life of love today? What can I do? What. What can I show? How can I show the people that I love that I love them? Or even people that I don't know that I love? How can I show them love?
[00:20:10] What small acts of love can you show to others? Right? So it's the little things, random acts of kindness, right? What can you do? Holding the door for somebody saying, good morning. If you know your friend or your coworker likes coffee, bring them some coffee, whatever. What can I. What can you do to make someone's life better for the day? Less stressful? What can you do? Right? If that means cooking a meal for your spouse because they've had a long day, or taking them to dinner, hey, you don't have to cook. We can go out to eat or bringing dinner home. What can I do, right, to make it better for them? And so that's the question you can ask, what small acts of love can you show to others?
[00:20:49] And pray for a heart that loves with purpose? If you feel like, you know what, I need to work on this, or even if you think you got it good but still just want to fine tune it a little bit, pray for a heart that loves with purpose. Not for what can you gain out of it, but what can you do to help others become better? Meet people where they are and love on them to become better. That's what we should do. The closing scripture I want to leave is first Corinthians, 13th chapter, 13th verse. And it reads, and now these three remain, faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is. Is love. And the final reflection question I want to leave with you is, what one step will you take today to live a life of love more fully, right? What can you do? What? What? One step, just one step. And you will notice if you ask yourself that every day, okay, what can I do today? What can I do today to help love on somebody or to show my heart to love people genuinely? What can I do to show God's love to people? How can I do that? You'll start, you'll start to see that your life is more purposeful. You'll start to see that people will love on you even more and begin to say, what can I do to help you, right? If you do that to someone and then they do it to others, right? You share it to someone and then that person share love with someone and then that person. It becomes a domino effect. Right now we need to love on each other. It's tough out here. Life is lifein'but. But even while life is life and you still love, love, God, love people. That's it. You do those two things again, I said it earlier. You do those two things, you gonna be all right. We gonna be all right. All right. So I thank you. I hope that this month you love on someone and continue to love throughout the year. Don't just stop in February, right? I know that's the month we set aside as the love month, but don't just stop there. As you resetting for the year, make sure that you are loving on some, on each other. Okay? And that's what the focus for this month is going to be with my guest is talking about love and how we can love on, on each other genuinely and authentically. I thank you again for joining me on the second row. I ask, as I always do, that you subscribe, follow, give me a five star rating if you're enjoying it. I appreciate you. Leave the comments, send me a message. It really does help me make sure you are telling your family and your friends about us. I appreciate that. Thank you so much. And remember, I'm on all podcast platforms, whether it's Apple, Spotify, wherever you get your podcast. And we're also on YouTube, so check us out under Crux Media.
[00:23:33] Go there, we're there, I'm there. Find me love on me. I appreciate it. So wherever you find yourself, wherever God has placed you, remember to accept it, embrace it and flourish in it. I thank you. See you next time.
