I watched a young couple through the corner of my eyes as they talked over a plate of jollof in a restaurant I happened to be in.
Within a few minutes of watching them, I could tell they were totally oblivious to the guy sitting next to them and how his head seemed to be permanently slanted to listen to the conversation they were having.
lol
From my observation, the lady who had a red lipstick on seemed to do most of the talking, sometimes with a mouthful as they laughed and at other times ate a chunk from each other’s plate. It was a typical Nollywood love scene, no joke.
It is not as if I went to the restaurant to do amebo, but some things cannot just go unnoticed…I mean even their mouth movement from my vantage point signified conversation, intimate conversation that made them forget that they were in the presence of strange eyes like mine who would eagerly create a story around their actions.
Of course there were moments when they looked up abruptly as if to be reassured about the non existent privacy that the restaurant provided. Ah, in those moments, I looked away sharply, pretending to not have been looking. lol.
It wasn’t hard to tell at all.
It is never hard to decipher those in love.
They left the restaurant quite early giving me ample time to have a personal conversation with myself about this thing. This thing called love.
See, I like love stories as you may have observed. I think there is a magic that somehow sweeps people off their feet, gives them courage to face their fears and makes them blind to a multitude of flaws.
Music played softly from the speaker and then I thought about ‘crushes’ and how it reveals frailty and our ability to be moved by sight. I thought about ‘catching feelings’ and how people hardly ever plan to fall in love.
How every great relationship starts with one conversation that opens the door way to the truth.
I thought about many things and how sacrifice suddenly replaces selfish and many efforts put together to bring out the best in your lover.
How you would randomly write down their name on a piece of paper because you do not yet realise how much you miss them.
I am my beloved’s and his desire is towards me.
Last week, someone asked me if I loved God.
Okay, It was a question directed to everyone in the room and almost like a well rehearsed verse, everyone chorused: Yes!
‘Yes!’, not because time had been taken to think about this question.
But “yes!” because that was the right answer and there was nothing to think about…’of Course I love God’, everyone seemed to say with the automated response.
Okay, no wahala, not going to dispute that but it is just that this love struck couple have left the room and I am asking myself questions about this thing called love.
Do I love God or I join the crowd to sing “I love you Lord” without really listening to what I’m even saying. This is a personal question that deserves a personal and not a chorus answer.
Do I think about God randomly during the day?
Do I long to hear from Him or His call always feels like a burden I should hide from? A not again conversation. Maybe I purposely miss the call sef and then dial back just to fulfil all righteousness whilst chanting “don’t pick up, don’t pick up” in my heart.
See, I saw them and how time seemed to lose value as they sat together exchanging glasses of juice. I couldn’t help but ask if I lose track of time with Him or just pray he finished what He is saying soon so I get back to something else. Anything else, but this conversation…arrh.
Do I randomly talk to people about Him?
I mean don’t you remember how you didn’t allow your friends hear word that one time you really liked someone. Everytime “Ade”, Everytime, “Ifeoma”. Lol
See, I am thinking about this thing called love and how it is impossible to hide. True love cannot be hidden so my love for God should not be forced in a box because I am afraid of the faces of men.
It should intoxicate my brain and give me the liver to shout His name on the mountain top. After all, perfect love casts out fear. Fear of what people would say or think.
It is Christmas day tomorrow and we are going to be celebrating with friends and family…In fact, as I am typing this, a Christmas song is playing in my sitting room and the Christmas groove is really groovy.
But amidst all of this, take some time out to ask yourself about your relationship with B.A.E.
About God. How is your love relationship with him?
In a whispering voice, “tell yourself the truth, I will tell myself the truth”. If it needs fixing and you know it, biko just drop your phone and whisper a word to him. Start up a conversation and be sincere about this thing.
Maybe you are not even sure and this thing I am saying sounds like what preachers say every Sunday as they make altar call. Maybe, it has never made sense to you as you don’t see how you can love God.
Just tell Him as it is. Me too, I am saying my own. I am telling myself the truth here: “Lord teach me how to love you. I want to fall in love with you afresh.”
So yea, this is what I want to tell you today. Thanks for paying attention. It means a lot to me, that you read these things and sometimes comment. God bless you and have Merry Christmas because it is not a small something that God decided to come to earth to live among men simply to win my heart over.
We love Him, because He first loved us.
Think on this.
See you next week.
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