Love Defined by Cheryl Polote-Williamson
What is love? Merriam Webster tells us that it is a noun. It is also a verb, truly an action word but much more than that, wouldn’t you agree? Depending on which version you are reading, the word love is mentioned over 500 times in the Holy Bible. Love can be a drug. Love can be a blessing. Love has inspired countless lives and endless tears. Love is universal and multilingual. Love is all encompassing. Love is all consuming. Love is indescribable. Love is stronger than death. Love is the sole thing that keeps me going each and every day. I am fortunate to be a woman with many loves in my life. Each of these loves has taught me various lessons. I look at each of them as different expressions of God’s love for me.
My first and longest lasting love affair has been with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. My love for him and his love for me has impacted every aspect of my life in magical ways. As a young girl, I felt the warmth of the Lord’s embrace and the powerful essence of his presence. His love has sparked an unquenchable fire within my soul. This fire inspires me daily to share his love with everyone I come in contact with. I love God because he first loved me and with his unfailing love, he has drawn me. God’s love has uplifted me when I didn’t love myself. My love for him grew deeper and stronger when he blessed me with my husband, Russell. I knew I loved Russell after less than two months of dating him. His respect and chivalry wooed me; it was easy to fall in love with him. In our 25 years of marriage, our love has been tested and tried by fire. However, because of God’s love for us, we are stronger and better than I ever could have imagined us to be. What I love most about him is that he is a man after God’s heart. My love for him grew deeper and stronger when we created my three greatest joys.
It was love at first sight when I held my firstborn, Russell Jr. for the first time in the hospital just moments after he was born. I didn’t realize how much I could love another human being until I held him in my arms. Watching him learn and grow through the years has blessed my heart. I love and admire the fact that he is never afraid to be vulnerable with me. If something hurts him, he opens up about it. I believe that God wants us to be the same way with him. He doesn’t want us to be afraid to pour out our hearts to him. I have come to appreciate the special bond that I have with my dear son more than words could ever describe. He has taught me patience. Love is patient. My love for Russell Jr. grew deeper and stronger when he blessed me with my beautiful granddaughter, Leah.
Leah gives me great hope for the future. I love hearing her voice and seeing the innocence with which she looks at everything around her. I believe God calls us to look at the world with the childlike glimmer that she does. Through her vibrancy and infectious laughter, God has reminded me that he wants us to leave a positive legacy for our offspring. Seeing Leah’s bright and beautiful smile inspires me to do just that. She is a breath of fresh air and she represents the joy that God wants his children to walk in each and every day.
My daughters Lauren and Courtney reignite my hunger and thirst for God with their own passions to serve him. I love my daughter Lauren because she has a servant’s heart. She has inherited my desire to help others, especially the less fortunate. She encourages me with her appreciation for life. Her love for our family blesses my heart in ways that I could never explain. I love my daughter Courtney because she pours her heart and 100% of her effort into everything that she does. Her resilience and determination are an overwhelming joy to see in action. I cannot thank God enough for blessing me with these beautiful jewels to love on, influence, pray for and lead. When I look at them, I feel God’s love for me radiating through their beautiful smiles.
I love my work as a life coach and philanthropist because I know that I am walking in my destiny and utilizing my gifts. I love the satisfaction of knowing that this is what God has called me to do. I love helping people see their potential. My work allows me to impact the lives of people all around the world. I am so grateful to be in position to help people by providing coaching to guide them with personal and professional needs. Witnessing my clients’ growth provides me with a tremendous sense of fulfillment and gratification. I wake up each day asking myself, “who will I bless today?” “Who’s book will I help be published today?” When I look at the number of people that I have been able to help, I feel God’s warm embrace, just as I did as a young girl.
You see, I am truly fortunate because I am a woman with many loves in my life. Each of these loves has taught me various lessons. I look at each of them as different expressions of God’s love for me. I wake up in the morning with such joy in my heart because I am fulfilled. I am fulfilled because of my God, my husband, my children, my beautiful grandchild and my work. My heart is so full each day, sometimes I feel as if it may burst because I simply cannot contain all of the love that I have inside of me. Since I cannot contain this love, I have no choice but to spread it everywhere I go. God, Russell, Russell Jr., Lauren, Courtney, Leah and my work are my everything. They are my personal definitions of love. What is/what are your personal definitions of love?
Highly sought after motivational speaker and coach, Cheryl A. Polote-Williamson is a 4 time Amazon best-selling author. Her works include Soul Reborn: A Book of Words, Motivations, and Inspirations, and Words from the Spirit for the Spirit. Cheryl is also a co-author of Shift On by Nikki Woods which features twenty stories of turning trials into triumph. Cheryl holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from Shaw University. Deemed a savvy business woman after having owned Boxing Club Franchises within North and Central Texas and as partner of 924 Sports Management, LLC., Cheryl has been nationally recognized for her client relationships, entrepreneurial skills, and strategic partnerships; and, she has been selected as one of Dallas Top 25 women and received the honor as one of the Female Success Factor award recipients for 2016. For more information, please visit cherylpwspeaks.com.
