This I Know

Jesus loves me; this I know,
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong.
They are weak, but He is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
The Bible tells me so.

For many years, I thought of this song as rather sweet but not terribly meaningful. At least, it wasn’t very meaningful to me. Yeah, yeah, Jesus loves me. Jesus loves everybody. Big deal.

But lately, this simple children’s song has become an eloquent and momentous expression of a truth that has only relatively recently begun to seep its way deep into my heart and soul.

You see…Jesus loves me. I mean, really loves me. Not just loves me because “For God so loved the world,” and I’m in the world, so He’s sort of obligated to include me in that. But loves ME. Me, Megan. Just the way I am, with my particular personality make-up, my interests, my abilities. Even my imperfections and all (though He’ll help me work on these). Jesus loves ME.

My friend, He loves you too. You, just the way you are, with your personality, your interests and abilities, your quirks and shining moments and imperfections. Not just because He “has” to—because He most certainly does not HAVE to love you, or me, or anybody. But because you are dear to Him. Because you have a special place in His heart. Not because of any quality you bring to the table, but just because you’re you.

There will be people in our lives who don’t love us the way we hope they would or believe they should. And that hurts.

When there is someone whose love we desire, but who doesn’t give us that love, we have a choice. We can either stay stuck in our grief and disappointment, or we can turn to the only One who can ever love us completely.

Even if that person in your life did love you as he or she should, you still wouldn’t feel completely loved. Why? Because only God can meet the innermost needs of your soul. Only He can truly fill your heart to bursting with all the love you have received. And only He always and forever, without fail and without fault, wants to do so.

We can either stay stuck in our emptiness…or we can turn to God.

If we choose the first option, we stay empty and sad. If we choose the second, we choose abundant emotional life.

I know which option I want, and I bet you want that option too.

So how do we turn to God? How do we get to the point in our relationship with Him where we feel His love so strongly that even when human beings turn their back on us, we know that we know that we KNOW, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that we’re loved? And not just that we know it in our head, but that we feel it in our heart?

We spend time with God. We get to know Him.

I know that might sound like a too-simplistic answer, but I promise you, it’s not. I’ve tried it and found that it has worked in my life beyond all I’ve asked or imagined. That’s because when you spend time with God, you get to know Him. And when you truly know Him, the only possible response is to grow in your love for Him. And as you grow, your heart opens to Him, and somehow, He fills your heart with love in the way that only He can.

It’s not an instant process. It’s not even a quick process. If you’ve been hurt badly, it might take years of getting to know God and asking Him to help you receive His love before you truly begin to feel it. But even before you begin to feel it, it’s there all the same. And it always was.

You see, God loved you from before the world began, He loves you now, and He will love you throughout all eternity. First, you’ll come to believe it. Then you’ll ask Him to help you absorb it. And then, finally, you’ll begin to feel it, and you’ll know that even when the people on earth who should have loved you, didn’t—Jesus did. Even now while they don’t love you, He does. And even if they never come to love you in the future, He always will.

Jesus loves me! This I know,
For the Bible tells me so.

No love from any human being on earth could possibly be more perfectly deep and complete than that.

Psalm 27:10—When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up .