We are challenged each day to love. Who we love or what we love is up to us. Love is an emotion, a feeling, actions, and words. Love is defined as: a strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties (dictionary). This is one of fifteen definitions that is recognized by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Love can be defined as many things by many people. Love is random compliments of things people don't know they're doing. It's continuing a conversation with someone regardless of your length of friendship. "It's putting someone else's well-being, happiness and success above your own" (Rhea Caldwell). It's making sacrifices for the ones you love and most importantly the ones you don't and never will. There is always a chance to love someone. God has given us the power of love. To show love, to love when there's only hate. and to love above everything else.

The most interesting thing about love is how everyone has their own definition. We have grown up hearing the word "love" from our family, our friends, and other people who care about us. Our definition of love comes from how we were showed love and how we showed love back. "Love can be shown by having someone's best interest at heart, whether that means you are in their life or not" (Casey Hawkins). "Love is not something that you constantly think about; it's just there" (Lynn Frazier). The action of love can be seen when you do something because it will benefit them and not you, even if you know it will hurt them. It's when you know someone is hurting and instead of prying the hurt out of them, you allow them to come to you.

When you love someone, the amount of things you would do for them is endless. "A person you love has a piece of you that you allow them to have and see to keep them in your life" (Grace Borreli). By allowing yourself to love someone, you are allowing them to see the bad times and the good times of you. When someone else loves you, they accept you for who you are and they push you to be who you should become. Love can be found between every relationship, between friends, family members, lovers; everyone. "There is an unconditional pull to them and sometimes it can be thought as God leading you to who and where you need to be" (Lauren Frazier). "Sometimes you don't realize you love someone until you have the want to give infinite care and joy to them" (Courtney Jones).

To say you love someone is to take on the honor and the opportunity of protecting that person from all dangers. It is a right of passage to love someone and to acknowledge the love you have for them through words and actions. An important thing to remember about love is it is a solid object that can be broken and mended. Love can be a liquid that flows out from you to someone else or to something. Love can be a gas that is always there even though you can't always see it. Love is not just a noun, it is a verb, a verb that should be acted upon.

These days, we are so focused on acceptance and feeling like we are needed that we throw the word love around. The word love can be used to describe a feeling we get when we admire something or aspire to be something.They way we feel when we are told someone loves us is inexpressible. So often, we say that we "love" someone even if we have just met for the sake of them feeling wanted. The word love can seem to have lost its meaning because its overuse. We say that we "love" something when we really just like it a lot. For example, I love my parents and my friends and I would do anything for them, but I don't love my car. Cars are replaceable, but loved ones are not.

While the word love can seem to have lost its meaning, it has also gained a new one. So many people wait to say that they love someone because they feel the weight the word carries. To love someone means that you would die for them and then come back to make sure that they were okay. In a time where there are so many words that one could use to describe the unconditional pull towards someone, the likely word used is love. Love will remain the most powerful thing that can turn a world on its head and can also bring it to its knees. The next time you say you love something, I want you to think about what you're really saying.