Love

My 14-year-old brother likes to question me about once a week on love.  His questions usually go like this: "Have you ever loved anyone besides family and friends, Georgia, like loved them in a romantic way?" or "How do you know that you love someone?"
I struggled for the longest time and still often struggle with the idea of love.  I know I love my parents, I know I love my friends, and I know I love God.  But loving someone romantically seems like such a different thing.  I was always concerned about saying "I love you" too soon, and then realizing I really didn't love the guy I said it to.  Because of that concern, I was always second guessing myself and what love really is.
It wasn't until I was staffing a Happening retreat, and a talk was given on love that my idea of love became a little clearer.  The phrase I remember best looking back on that talk is "love is a verb".  That means that love isn't some emotion you feel, it isn't a giddiness or euphoria; love is your willingness to do for that person.  One of my parents, when I asked, once said that love is your willingness to sacrifice for that person.  (At the time I pictured throwing them out of the way of an oncoming vehicle and dying instead, which didn't sound like the grandest idea to me, but definitely seemed to be an act of love; then again, Christ died for us, and that was an act of love, and was pretty grand, right?)
So love is a verb, a willingness to sacrifice for the person you love.  I've also come to add to that definition that love is a willingness to admit weakness, that you're not always right, step off your high horse, and compromise.
How many teenagers would really be willing to do all of those things?  How many don't do those things and still say they love their boyfriend or girlfriend?  Love has become watered down by movies and books to be nothing more than an intoxication with another person.  "Love" has simply become lust and temporary euphoric feelings.  Those things don't last, and so "love" doesn't last.
Adults always say that your spouse should be your best friend.  If you think about your best friend and your relationship with them, you usually find that you trust and respect them, among other things.  If your spouse should be your best friend, then shouldn't your love for them be based in trust and respect, like the love for your current best friend?
Love is now defined as a verb; a willingness to sacrifice; a willingness to admit weakness; a willingness to say you're not always right; a willingness to step off your high horse; a willingness to compromise; trust; and respect.
Now comes the tough question: have I ever loved anyone in a romantic sense?  I'd have to say yes, but at this point I've only ever loved one person like that: my current boyfriend.  I trust him (after all, I am in a long distance relationship with him), and I respect him.  I've had to admit to him that I'm not always right, and I've had to let go of my pride and say sorry; I've had to compromise over disagreements we've had, and I've made small sacrifices for him.  I wouldn't say I love him like I see my parents love each other.  But when my parents started out, I'm not convinced they loved each other like they do now, after all, they've been married nearly 20 years now and know each other just that much more than when they started their life together.  I do know I love him to the capacity that I am capable of as a 17-year-old with limited life experience; and I believe that with a healthy, growing, Christ-centered relationship I can grow to love him even more.  But that's too far in the future for me to even begin to see, so I won't worry about that now.