For those of us that are familiar with 1 Corinthians 13 of the Bible, we know that anything and everything we do without love amounts to nothing. No amount of knowledge, expertise, fame or power can supercede love. We see this word 'love' thrown around often, but do we think about what does it mean when we say 'I love you'?

In my previous articles on love, I referenced the philosopher Soren Kierkegaard and his book Works of Love. In keeping up with this trend, consider the following statement: "To love one's neighbor means, within the earthly distinctions allotted to one, essentially to will to exist equally for every human being without exception". To clarify what he means by 'earthly distinctions', he is referring to traits that belong to each individual. What comes to mind are titles such as ‘king’ or 'director’, or 'artist'. These titles often signify our individuality. Christianity, according to Kierkegaard, allows for these distinctions to exist, but lifts us out of said distinctions. What can be deduced from this mindset is that love is equality. Love calls for us to look beyond our distinctions, and to ultimately live for one another.

I love you, I live for you.

To bring out this sentiment further, consider the sacrifice of Jesus to the world. Jesus, in all of His divinity, was a human being that was scared of the momentous task laid before Him. He was called to be a living sacrifice for the world; to save us from ourselves and to offer a way to the Father. This, I would argue, is the greatest demonstration of love because He is not only living for us, but also making a way for us to be saved.

To love is to live. To love is to sacrifice.

Now, apply this to your romantic life. How often do you express this phrase 'I love you' and actually mean it? Do you sacrifice for your partner? Or do you view yourself living for your partner?

If love is viewed in the manner presented here, I am compelled to speak ill against the notion of saying 'I love you' too quickly. According to the articleWhen Should You Say 'I Love You'?, “timing and ranking are of no concern” when deciding when to say ‘I love you’. Instead, it is dependent on how profound it is. Profound love requires time to develop. Viewing love as a means of living for someone else and actually applying it requires time, development, and much thought. Be careful not to fall into this trap of giving your heart away recklessly.