by Janna Jones
illustration by Flan Flinn

Pink hearts. Red roses. Boxes of chocolates and lots of kisses. That's what love is all about, right? WRONG! That is what Valentine's Day may be about, but that isn't love. So how good are you at loving others? Take our quiz and find out where you fall on the true love-o-meter.

Rank the following statements according to how strongly you agree with them. Answer honestly. This is a self-assessment that will help you measure your life against Scripture, so there are no right or wrong answers. Of course, no one can be perfect at loving except Christ, and loving others isn't just a formula. It can look different in different situations. So let these questions make you think -- if you're honest with your answers, you might just learn a thing or two about yourself, and true love. 

01 People who make me wait for them are rude and need to learn to manage their time better.

Strongly agree 
Agree
Indifferent
Disagree
Strongly Disagree

02 Those who are kind to everyone usually end up getting walked all over.

Strongly agree 
Agree
Indifferent
Disagree
Strongly Disagree

03 I can think of a lot of things that my friends have that I'd like to have.

Strongly agree 
Agree
Indifferent
Disagree
Strongly Disagree

04 People who don't work hard to get ahead and put themselves first will get nowhere in life.

Strongly agree 
Agree
Indifferent
Disagree
Strongly Disagree

05 I try to make friends with people who are popular or really good at something I'm interested in because I think that will help other people like me better.

Strongly agree 
Agree
Indifferent
Disagree
Strongly Disagree

06 Anyone who betrays a friend even once isn't worth my time.

Strongly agree 
Agree
Indifferent
Disagree
Strongly Disagree

07 My friends and I talk about other people we know and what we say is not always nice.

Strongly agree 
Agree
Indifferent
Disagree
Strongly Disagree

08 I have fun with my friends but I wouldn't risk my life for them if they were in trouble.

Strongly agree 
Agree
Indifferent
Disagree
Strongly Disagree

09 I put on an act for people I really want to like me -- it's not the real me, but they'll never know.

Strongly agree 
Agree
Indifferent
Disagree
Strongly Disagree

10 When I'm not with my friends I worry that they'll say bad things about me.

Strongly agree 
Agree
Indifferent
Disagree
Strongly Disagree

11 There are losers at my school who I think will be losers for the rest of their lives.

Strongly agree 
Agree
Indifferent
Disagree
Strongly Disagree

12 I would have more friends, but I don't really think anyone is good enough to be my friend.

Strongly agree 
Agree
Indifferent
Disagree
Strongly Disagree

13 If a friend did something I thought was wrong, I'd avoid confronting him/her and hope things would fix themselves.

Strongly agree 
Agree
Indifferent
Disagree
Strongly Disagree

14 When people go through hard times and shut me out, I don't want to deal with their problems and have a hard time staying friends.

Strongly agree 
Agree
Indifferent
Disagree
Strongly Disagree

15 If staying loyal to a friend meant risking my popularity or reputation, I would choose to lose the friend.

Strongly agree 
Agree
Indifferent
Disagree
Strongly Disagree

So are you overflowing with love or is the love bug inside of you suffocating? Check out the verse below. What the world says about love and our natural tendencies are very different from the way Jesus defined love. If you aren't happy with where you ended up on the scale, don't beat yourself up. We're all influenced by the messages of the world and our sinful nature. But if you know Jesus, you're set. He is a master at this love thing.

Each one of the qualities of love in the verse below is represented in the questions above. See if you can match each statement with one of the verse's love qualities (some may fit more than one). Then ask God to start working on the areas in your life where you aren't believing in and living out His love. With God's help, you're sure to see your love-o-meter go through the roof.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."
--1 Corinthians 13:4-8a