“Jesus Loves Me! This I know, For the Bible tells me so; Little ones to Him belong; They are weak, but He is strong.”

Most of us are familiar with this children’s song. For those of us who have grown up in church, we have been told that God loves us over and over again like a broken record.

We have sung the words to this song without thinking about what it means, and we have gone along our lives knowing we are loved.

However, how many of us have gone through life fully believing this truth?

For years, I could tell you that God loved me. I could sing the words to this song by heart, but I sure didn’t believe it deep down, and I did not live like someone God loved.

As I pondered these thoughts with the Lord, He showed me some things.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16

I have read this verse over a million times in my life, but this time something else stuck out to me. There are two things I want to highlight as we look at this scripture.

The first one is that God loves us. He loves us to the degree that He would give His only son to be sacrificed for our sins. As a mother, I can’t even imagine doing such a thing. To give up my only child’s life for someone who is guilty and doesn’t deserve it baffles my mind and my flesh. This act expresses a depth of love that can not even be explained.

The second part I want to point out is that it says here “that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” He doesn’t say anyone who knows in their mind or understands in their head; he talks about those who believe.

The Merriam-Webster Thesaurus defines the word believe as: ” to regard as right or true” and sharing accept and trust as synonyms.

Do we only know in our minds that God loves us? Do we know that God loved us so much, He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins and rise again, or do we believe it?

Do we accept this powerful expression of love for us?

Do we trust His love?

For a long time in my life, I did not trust God’s love for me. I didn’t accept that He looked at me and loved me the way He said He loved me. This way of living has affected my relationship with Him and with others.

I imagine I am not the only one who has struggled this way. I went years not seeing or understanding this, and I share with you so that prayerfully, someone else who may be stuck in that same place can begin to find freedom much sooner than I found mine.

There is nothing wrong with singing a song about Jesus loving us. There is nothing wrong with looking at this scripture so much; it can be memorized and spoken at any given moment to someone who needs it, but has this truth changed our hearts?

Tweet

That is the real question to ask ourselves.

Once I realized I only knew this truth but didn’t believe it, I took some steps I would like to share with you.

The first step was to confess this to God. God knows everything, but He wants us to go to Him. He wants us to share our hearts with Him. I confessed this was my struggle, and I repented how this had affected my relationship with Him and others.

The second step was to seek God about the roots of this struggle. I asked Him to reveal this to me. He was faithful to answer that prayer.

The third step was to ask God to give me someone to talk to about this struggle and keep me accountable when they saw me go back to old ways or show me when I was slipping back into old habits.

This battle or struggle doesn’t end magically. When we have self-protective walls up, or we have believed the lies over the truth for so long, it takes time for God to renew our minds and break down the barriers for good.

The enemy wants us back in that deceived place. He doesn’t want us living in the truth because when we truly accept and trust God’s love, we begin living it. When we live it, other people see it and want it too.

Tweet

God has renewed my mind in ways that have transformed my heart and life. I now believe the truth that He loves me. He loved me enough to send Jesus to die in my place and to restore my relationship with Him. I trust His love for me. I won’t lie, this doesn’t always feel safe to me, and I feel vulnerable, but I keep drawing close to Him instead of pulling away from Him when I am afraid.

I want to be a friend who reminds you of the truth that God loves you. He loves you with a deep and sacrificial love. His love can be trusted despite people failing to love you well. I pray you not only know this truth but that you believe it!