Love. We’ve all been there. I’ve felt it, you’ve felt it and even some of the people we would least expect have felt it too.

The best part of loving, being loved or a mutual love is the sensation of feeling like your heart is full. On the other hand, the greatest downside to love is loving and not being loved back. Giving, opening your heart to someone who does not reciprocate hurts.

Sometimes the heartache of rejection can even make you consider giving up on the possibility that true love exists. It does. True love exists for those that put in the effort, which brings me to the truth about true love.

Three things about true love that are actually true: true love cannot exist without friendship, temptations test every relationship and you need to have faith.

True love cannot exist without friendship.

Friendship takes time, work, and energy, to name a few things. You cannot just look at someone and automatically become best friends. The same rings true with love.

Becoming friends and discovering each other’s quirks, instabilities and habits is what brings people close. Having the opportunity to become better friends through that process leads you along the path toward loving each other. Having a strong understanding of a person allows you to understand how to love them.

Love does not occur with a simple glance in the direction of that cutie in the corner booth at the coffeehouse. You actually have to walk over, talk, and get to know them.

Temptations test every relationship.

Most people walk into Target and are tempted to explore the dollar section. The same goes for relationships. Temptations are around every corner, sometimes labeled at a low price or coated in flashy style, like the dollar section at Target.

You may disagree, but temptations help to build a relationship. Without temptations and the willpower to avoid them or cast them to the side, there would be little to test how truly strong a relationship it.

Taking a stand to control one’s temptations is a display of commitment to a relationship, and behind every relationship, whether it is with a friend or significant other, sits commitment.

You need to have faith.

Having the ability to stay committed and understand you partner are only two pieces of the puzzle. Having faith that your commitment and friendship will withstand the test of time and hardship is the last piece of the puzzle.

Without having faith that your friendship is strong enough to endure the ups and downs of love and life, there would most likely be no friendship or relationship or love.

Knowing there are temptations around every corner and having faith that your partner or you will not succumb to those temptations is what allows your relationship to continue.

Love is not easy. If love were easy, then it wouldn’t be worth it. Love is a gift that you receive after putting in the effort, the effort of friendship, avoiding temptations and having faith that it will work out.

So next time you think you are falling in love or question the love you feel, just ask yourself if your friendship is fully developed and strong enough, strong enough to withstand temptations and other hardships. And remember to have faith.