Love is Sweeter The Second Time Around
We met when I was in my sixth grade. He’s too good to be true; He’s the one I’ve been dreaming of. We became best friends. He embraces me when I feel like falling, He wipes my tears when I’m crying, He laughs with me, sings with me, dance with me. He’s everything I want, He’s everything I need.
He was there when I graduated and received a special award, I saw Him, He was smiling, I can see on His face that he wanted to run towards me and say that He’s so proud of me.
When I entered high school, we became even closer, He would join me in class, seat with me, and would even tell me the answers during exams — He’s too smart and so generous that He shared me His wisdom. When I joined a competition, He provided me all the tools, even the ideas.
When I became a scholar, He embraced me and told me that I deserve that kind of blessing. He made me happy. I know I couldn’t live anymore without Him. But there came a time when my family and I were faced to a hard situation. My dad is dying, and this part is so inevitable that all I can do is fall on my knees and cry. My dad died when I was 19 years old.
He was there with me, crying with me. He keeps on telling me that there are things that we have to accept, there are things beyond our control, and death is one of those things.
I was near my last year in college, and I became very busy, I was pressured of people’s expectations. I keep on studying, joining different competitions, attending lots of seminars, and sometimes hanging out with friends. It was then I realized that I lost Him.
I became so confused, my mind was filled with negative thoughts, I cried alone. I lost my best friend.
Another year passed, and I still couldn’t feel Him. It was my graduation day, and I was expecting Him to be there, I was expecting to see His smile like the way it is when I graduated grade school and high school, but the ceremony ended, and He didn’t came. I graduated with an honor, but it was all nonsense because He wasn’t there.
Months passed, until one night, I suddenly uttered His name, and to my surprise, He hugged me and said, “Finally you called me. I’ve been waiting for many years. I thought I’ll never hear you say my name again”. And I told Him with madness on my voice, “You left me, you left me. I hate you for leaving me”. He wiped my tears and told me the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard, “But, I love you, and I never left. I was at your back for years, ‘cause I’m afraid that you might fall, and I want to be the first to catch you”. And, without hesitation, I hugged Him back and told Him that I love Him, and I miss Him.
Today, I am walking in light with Him. He surprised me with many good things. I know I don’t deserve this kind of love from Him, He’s too perfect and I am not, but He still loves me unconditionally.
Slowly, I’m beginning to understand why certain things happen. I’m beginning to understand why sometimes we have to feel like we’re being left, but in reality we’re not, I’m beginning to understand why we have to feel the pain, could be once, twice, thrice or more. I’m beginning to understand that there are purposes for everything. I learned my purpose in this world — to share my story, His story, and our love story. Our love story that would prove that love is sweeter the second time around.
“The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” -Psalm 145:18