Don't I Deserve Love?
“I’m tired of being alone,” Charmaine sighed. “Ever since I’ve broken up with Damian, I seem to only attract idiots. Maybe my mother was right after all, I’m just too difficult.”
“Don’t say that,” Charmaine’s friend Morgan said. “We all go through tough breakups.”
“I guess you’re right. I just feel so hopeless.”
“I know what you mean, girl. I’m not gonna lie, it’s hard out here but it’s not impossible to find love. Hell, my parent’s have been married for thirty years. I’m not going to give up and you aren’t either baby.”
Charmaine and Morgan sat across from each other in a semi crowded cafe conversing about their love life. The year had just began and it already looked like it was going to be another year of the same ole bull. The ladies wondered why love had to be so complicated. Both of them now entering their early thirties worried their window to find happiness slowly closed. They laughed with each other to keep from crying. The smell of assorted latte’s and warm pastries filled their corner of the cafe, temporarily distracting them.
“I’m tired of talking about this,” Morgan chuckled. “ You wan’t something to eat?”
“I could go for a chai tea latte. Thank you.”
They sipped their drinks and watched the people that came in and out of the door. It seemed like there were happy couples everywhere. Charmaine looked around and noticed men and women embracing in seemingly every direction. At one point she thought there had to be some sort of joke being played on her. Every social media post seemed to evoke a similar sentiment. Was everyone happy but me? Charmaine wondered, sliding her phone back into her purse in between sips. Don’t I deserve to find love and happiness too?
***
Love, what a small word that packs so much power and meaning. Just the mere sight of the word can evoke a strong emotional response. Love is often a word that is tossed around and used carelessly at times. Love brings us joy and some times tears of despair. It’s complicated and confusing. It’s also beautiful and life giving. It’s absence can leave us searching our entire lives for it. It’s power has driven people to do miraculous things. The good book says, God is Love. 1st Corinthians 13: 4 reminds us of that. No matter what your thoughts about love are, we can all agree, there’s much to be said about it. I believe we all need it in our lives. At the core of who we are, we all seek to be understood and appreciated on some level. I’m inclined to believe that to be true. In fact, I believe it’s what connects us all within this human experience. It’s our capacity to give and receive love that truly makes us human.
There are so many different aspects of love to talk about, but today, I’d like to focus on romantic love, or Eros, as the Greeks so passionately referred to it. Think about those butterflies you’ve felt when you stared into the eyes of your lover. Remember the feeling you felt in your gut when you kissed the one you loved for the first time. Your heart beat as if it were dancing on a cloud, didn’t it? In those moments, we feel alive and completely blown away by the experience. It’s exhilarating and honestly what makes life truly special. Sometimes there are hiccups on our road to Eros that can leave us feeling like we’ll never experience that kind magic again. Or worse that we’re simply unlovable and destined to remain lonely forever.
The heart of this message is simple. I wrote this piece to remind you, if you’ve been having a tough time with love, that there is love reserved for you no matter what you’ve faced in the past. It doesn’t matter what your parents, ex lover, current lover or friends have said about you, I’m reminding you that there is nothing about you that disqualifies you from receiving love. There is someone out there right now, that can’t stop thinking about you. There’s someone right now, as you read this, that was glad the good Lord woke you up this morning. The most beautiful thing about that is, you may not have even met this person yet. If you’re going through a tough time with your lover, things can change for the better. May these words uplift your spirit today. Love isn’t just some fairy tale reserved for a select few, there’s love out there for you. Dare to believe, you’re stepping into a season of romance, rose pedals and baecations. Dare to believe, the good Lord is getting ready to allow your path to cross with someone who won’t be able to get enough of you.
Above all, remember to love yourself. You deserve to be happy. You’ve got to believe that. You deserve to smile like never before. Don’t let anyone convince you, it’s not possible. Revisit this piece on days when you feel discouraged and hopeless. If you were looking for confirmation, well, here it is. You deserve love, my friend.