Jesus Loves Me

A few nights ago a group of girls from my floor sat around a firepit fellowshipping, eating s'mores, and singing worship songs. The final song we sang was "Jesus Loves Me."  Most of us have known this song since we were tiny, and we can sing it without really thinking about what it means. But Maddison, who was playing the guitar, encouraged us to remember that when we sing this simple children's song, we are singing nothing less than the most profound, deepest truth that we will ever know.

Jesus loves us.

 

This truth lies at the core of the gospel, and at the core of what it means to be human: Jesus loves us. This is a truth so simple that I think we can often take it for granted, while in reality it is so profound that nothing else can touch it. It is a truth that deserves to be repeated every waking moment for as long as I live, because its power is only increased by repetition. It is something that we need to remember constantly, because knowing that Jesus loves each and every one of us is what makes life worth living, and what makes loving other people worthwhile. If Jesus loves me, then I can have hope and joy and peace no matter what my circumstances. And if my Jesus poured out His life in love for the people around me, how can I do otherwise? 

This past year, Jesus' love for me and the love He shows others through me has been a theme for my life. I have a feeling that it is a theme that will continue to shape me as long as I live. I want it to sink into the very essence of my being and flow from every facet of my soul. Jesus loves us. How different would our lives be - and I'm not even talking about the world right now, just our daily interactions with the people around us - if we truly lived the ramifications of that truth? Jesus loves us.

And then I got to thinking how amazing it is that the deepest truth is not only available to great philosophers, but rather is a truth that even the smallest children can grasp with the gift of faith. Any Christian, whatever their age or background or education, knows that at the most fundamental level, the answer to the most important question is that Jesus loves us. This is not a trite saying that we mindlessly take refuge behind when confronted with the difficulties of life in this broken world. It is a truth powerful enough to take those impossible situations and trials and use them to make something new and beautiful.

Jesus loves us.

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.

 

Jesus loves me, He who died

Heaven's gates to open wide.

He will wash away my sin,

Let His little child come in.

 

Yes, Jesus loves me.

Yes, Jesus loves me.

Yes, Jesus loves me.

The Bible tells me so.