Love always protects

Nolwazi Mnikwa

Relationships

TO protect is to keep safe, keep from harm, safeguard, defend, shelter, shield, preserve, take care of, stand guard on, tend, care for and look after. All these different attributes of protection are characteristics of love.

When you love someone you shield them from harm or hurt, you defend them, you take care of them, you keep them safe, you look after them and you care for them.

When someone speaks ill of the person you love, you will not keep silent but you will speak up to defend the one you love.

It is a natural instinct to defend the one you love. Ever noticed how a parent whose child is naughty will not allow someone else to speak ill of his or her child.

The parent will defend the child, simply because he or she loves her child. Even though the parent knows the child is naughty, the parent will not just keep quiet when their child’s name is being dragged through the mud. In doing so, the parent is protecting their child. This does not mean that the parent does not discipline his or her child; it just means that the parent is protecting their child.

What is of interest is that when you feel protected by your loved one, you make an effort to be a better person. Take a moment to think of the one person that you know has got your back, the one person who will speak up for you and not keep quiet when your name is being bashed.

Now that you have thought of that person, take a look at your relationship with him or her; do you relate to the person as you do with other people in your circle or do you make an effort to be a better person to them? The reason you make an effort when it comes to this particular person is because he or she has shown you a protective kind of love that makes you feel secure and gives you confidence.

The protective nature of love also ensures that you make an effort to keep someone from harm and hurt. There are times you get to know that someone has ulterior motives towards your loved one. In such instances keeping quiet and not giving your loved one a heads-up is not a sign of love.

However, giving your loved one a heads-up concerning the wrong motives the next person has towards them is an act of keeping your loved one from harm or hurt.

For example, if you know a guy wants to use your friend and you keep quiet about it, you are not being protective concerning your friend as your friend will get hurt in the end. If you love your friend, you will tell her about the guy’s intentions.

Whether or not she chooses to listen to make use of the information you give her is a different story altogether; you would have done your part in protecting you friend out of love.

In most families there is that one individual considered to be the black sheep of the family. This individual tends to behave and do things in a manner that is not understood by the rest of the family. As a result this individual is sidelined and badmouthed. In some cases this individual is taken advantage of or abused whether emotionally, verbally, psychologically or physically.

The person considered as the black sheep of the family often times does not feel the love that he or she should from his or her family. This is a bad thing especially on the part of the family as the role of the family is to protect this individual in love; the role of the family is to care for this individual, to shelter this individual and to make this individual feel at home with them.

If you have someone you consider as the black sheep of the family, how has been your approach to them? Have you shown them love and provided a safe space for them or have you pushed them as far away from you as you can? Have you stopped to consider that that person needs to be loved and that in loving that person, you will motivate him or her to be the best version of themselves?

The term love is a verb, it is a doing word. This means that love is not just a word but it is demonstrated in actions and one of the actions that demonstrate your love for someone is the act of protecting the one you love. Love takes from you to give to the next person.

The act of love requires you to consider the other person, to place yourself in their shoes and feel things the way they feel. When you are able to do so, you find that you get to know the things that hurt the people that you love and you protect them from those things. In doing so, you become an example of the term “love protects”.

I would love to hear your thoughts, comments and feedback as well as relationship topics you would like to have covered. You may send these to [email protected] or to +263775978857. Keep safe and be blessed.