Don't get ahead of yourselves now.... I am referring to the four letter word, love, that is often said so nonchalantly within the first three months of dating these days. From my dating experience thus far, from about the age of 15 to 25, I've had a total of 10 years to learn about the world of dating. A lot of people seem to express that they love someone very early into the relationship, but I'm afraid that they don't exactly know what it means to truly love someone. Even after 3 or 4 years of a relationship, I'm still afraid that they don't truly know what it means to love someone. I have asked numerous people what their definition of love is and these are the most popular responses I recieve:

1. Love is a feeling. That excitement you get when you see that special person, the butterflies that you get in your stomach each time you see their name pop up on your phone or every time you see them in person.

2. Love is always wanting to share everything with that person and spend as much time with them as possible.

3. Love is feeling comfortable around that person and knowing that you can be yourself around them.

Although all of these factors are correct and each of them are incorporated in being in love with someone, I noticed that there was one big aspect that was missing. One aspect that most people didn't seem to ever mention. The aspect is that yes, all of those factors that they mentioned play a part in loving someone, but one major foundation of love is the commitment that you make to another person. It is a commitment that when something goes wrong, you will still be there at the end of the day. It is a commitment that during the hard times that person isn't going anywhere. It is knowing that if you pick up the phone to call them, they will answer, not because they feel obligated to but because they are worried that you might really need help with something. Love is far more than just a feeling, it is a commitment to always be there for one another, no matter what. Love is putting someone else's needs above your own and willingly doing so because their happiness comes before your own. A good friend once told me, when you're dating you should look at your signifiant others flaws and multiply them by 10, if you still believe that the relationship is worth it after you have multiplied their flaws by 10 then that's when you know that you're truly in love, so before you go throwing around that little four letter word, make sure that you know exactly what it means when you're saying it. Love is a feeling, and a commitment. You can't completely put together a puzzle if you're missing a piece of it, so how could you truly be in love with someone if you are missing either the feeling of love and/or the commitment that goes along with it. "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres." -Corinthians 13:4-8.