Food for Thought: Receiving Love

At some point in your life you have received various forms of love. Love can come from anyone. Parents, siblings, friends, spouses, boyfriend, girlfriend, animals, even kind-hearted strangers. Love can come when you least suspect it; I’m sure you’ve heard that saying before.

Maybe you heard or learned that love is something you have to earn. While that might be true for when you are dating someone and getting to know them on a deep personal level, this not entirely true in relation to life itself. For example, you should never have to be put in a position where you have to earn love from your parents. Your parents should love you just the way you are.

Sometimes we can be hard on ourselves about every aspect and trait about our personality and life. Our mindset may be wired to where we don’t think we are deserving of love from anyone. Even kind gestures and words, big and small, we think we don’t deserve them.

This can come from various forms of emotional abuse. Guilt tripping, lies, name-calling, body shaming, even giving someone the cold shoulder can hurt someone severely mentally and emotionally speaking. The duration and severity of emotional abuse can take a heavy toll on our mindset and affect how we view ourselves and life itself.

Now remember there are people out there who will give you some form of love. This can be from anything from positive words, a nice gesture, a pat on the back, to a hug and maybe a kiss. They will do so because they like you, love you, and because they are kind hearted people. Now whether or not you accept their love is up to you.

There are people out there who love you just the way you are. You are lovable because you exist. You are love. Love is more about how you treat yourself rather than how others treat you.

Take care, stay safe, and remember your not alone and you have worth in this world.