This is song we hear as children, teach to our kids and is a sentiment close to our hearts. Yet, have you ever stopped to think about it? I mean, really stop and think deeply about what it means to know the love of Jesus. Not the Jesus loves me "when I study the Bible," not Jesus loves me "if I am doing my best, " not Jesus loves me "if I am living a moral life with Christian values." Jesus loves me. This is true regardless of what I am doing or not doing, saying or not saying, being or not being.
What does it feel like to know that Jesus loves me? I often have a hard time turning my head knowledge into understanding and feeling in my heart. I know a lot about Jesus and believe that He loves me, yet so many times I don't feel loved. I think that is because I don't take the next step -- thinking about Jesus loving me.
When I stop and think of those who have loved me best -- my husband, my mom, my sister, my best friends, my kids -- my heart is filled. So I tried something: I imagined the best love that I have experienced by each of the people in my life. Then I combined all that love into one big mass. Next I took the mass of love and wrapped it in a snuggly-soft blankety-type material.
Then I realized that regardless of how well I have been loved on earth, Jesus is the best expression of love there is. Because Jesus invented love (agape=unconditional love / eros=romantic love / philia=brotherly love / storage=parental love) he is the culmination of all the love I have known. So now when I think "Jesus loves me this I know," I feel the snuggly-soft blankety-type nugget of all the loves that are from Jesus -- and what I know I also feel -- it warms my heart and fills my soul.
May you know Jesus loves you best this day and always - Cynthia
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