Jesus Loves Me
Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." -- Matthew 19:14
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.
by Anna Bartlett Werner (1827-1915)
Our pastor asked us to think about those who had poured themselves into our lives. Specifically, he wanted us to recall those who spread their faith to others through teaching, mentoring, telling us about Jesus.
This is a young man who was raised in the United Methodist Church. His mentors were youth leaders and pastors. His friends were kids from church. His calling was encouraged. OK. Maybe not from his parents, who wanted a more traditional career for their youngest child. But they also didn't block his way.
I listened to similar stories from others. I remained silent. I was not raised in church. I have very few memories of attending a small, rural church. Then nothing. I started attending church on my own when I went to college. In my later years, my parents tried to rewrite history. They'd returned to church and wanted others to think they'd always gone. I wouldn't go along with their rewritten version of family history. One more nail in our relationship I suppose.
But what I do remember from that first church is my great aunt teaching me the little song above. There were very few children at the little country church. None even close to my age. Maybe I was three or four. Still, she sat with me in a vacant classroom and taught me the words. I am still so grateful.
That little song carried me through many sleepless nights as I tried to survive childhood. It led the teenage me to an old, tattered Bible as I sought answers. Probably not the answers you're expecting. I wanted to know why my Mother didn't love me. I begged God to tell me so that I could somehow fix myself. It was a long time before I realized I wasn't the problem to be fixed. I was the rejected child who took the brunt of Mother's anger, insecurity, and lies.
As an adult, I had the opportunity to forgive adults who came to me admitting they'd seen what was going on and refused to do anything. One aunt explained that she and my uncle thought it would make things worse for me if they tried to intervene. I sure wish I'd known when I was much younger. Instead, I believed with everything in me that I was somehow flawed and unworthy of love and acceptance from anyone.
Jesus changed all that. I didn't need to be "fixed" for Him to love me. I didn't need to change for Him to see me. He was encouraging and helpful and always cheering me on.
That relationship with Him began so long ago when one person decided to teach me a little song. She couldn't have known what a balm it would be to a broken child. "Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so."
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