Love

Love is not...
a fancy birthday cake from Carlo's.
Love is...
your mom waiting in line for half an hour to buy you a cake from Carlo's, and then keeping the whole thing a secret so she can surprise you with it.

Love is not...
reading Jurassic Park together.
Love is...
reading Jurassic Park with your dad, and then discussing how to fix their security system flaws.

Love is not...
a secret handshake.
Love is...
You and your sister designing a secret handshake together, to be performed every evening before bed.

Love is not...
a hug.
Love is...
your brother insisting on giving you a hug at least once a day.

Love is not...
sharing your friend's fascination with Doctor Who.
Love is...
discussing and sharing Biblical applications of Doctor Who with your friend.

Love is not...
109 facebook notifications telling you "happy birthday."
Love is...
1 facebook notification telling you that your friend is praying for you.

Love is not...
a church building.
Love is...
the people of the church.

Love is not...
being in the same debate club together.
Love is...
having detailed discussions, both in and out of club, concerning both club-related and non-club-related tangents.

Love is not...
a story you wrote with a friend.
Love is...
your friend talking with you on voice chat for seven hours straight, as you write.

Love is not...
the adult who helps you with youth group.
Love is...
the adult who goes out of her way to help you and mentor you as you start the youth group.

Love is not...
complaining about the problems of Christianity with your friend.
Love is...
carefully dissecting and going through each problem with your friend, and then trying to apply to them to life.

Love is not...
the person who "follows" you on deviantart.
Love is...
the person who asks you why you stopped drawing, and encourages you to continue.

Love is not...
debating Protestantism vs. Orthodoxy.
Love is...
debating Protestantism vs. Orthodoxy, and then praying for one another afterward.

Love is not...
hanging out during speech and debate tournaments.
Love is...
watching each others' speeches and debate rounds, and giving one another detailed feedback and encouragement.

Love is not...
going skiing with your friends.
Love is...
your friend escorting you back to the lodge when you twist your knee, and then staying there to keep you company for the rest of the day.


Love is not...
a distant deity.
Love is...
a man on a cross, saying, "It is finished."

Thank you, Mom, Dad, Jiajia, PJ, Michael, Grace, Markian, Josh and Aaron, my church, Mrs. Sandy, Priscilla, Joel, Brandon, Chad, Ryan, and God. 16 people, or groups of people, that have made my 16th year of life the adventure that it has been.