I figured a lot of people grew up singing it the way my sister and I did until I started singing it to my kids and my husband stumbled on the words. No, not everyone grew up singing it the same way. Here are words I learned,
Jesus love me, this I know
For the Scriptures tell 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 Scriptures tell me so.
Jesus loves me when I'm goodWhen I do the things I should.
Jesus loves me when I'm bad
Even though it makes Him sad.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
The Scriptures tell me so.
When I was little, I remember imagining a stick figure of a person next to a full picture of Christ for the line, "They are weak, but He is strong." I was the stick figure, small and fragile compared to the strong, carpenter standing next to me. In weakness I would imagine the stick figure falling and scraping a knee, and Christ coming over to pick me up and carry me.
When I was teenager, my weaknesses weren't so much physical as emotional. I was broken and in desperate need of strength. God's strength. I definitely couldn't make it through the turmoil on my own. During that I time, I found amazing comfort in camp songs and hymns that I had grown up singing. Occasionally I would even allow myself the comfort from "Jesus Loves Me."
The older I become, the more I see how God has worked in my life, in others' lives, and all the ways He is attempting to work in mine and others' lives now.
Sometimes God is just there for us, like we are for our kids. We see them shivering and we hand them a blanket or we put our arm around them when they're crying. Other times, He waits for us to ask Him. Like when the kids are working on their school work; it's best to let them try and ask if they need assistance. God is the ultimate parent, and He will guide us and help make us strong where we are weak. He is also our strength when we feel like we cannot go any farther.
There are times when God has sent His Spirit to give me assurance and strength, and there are also times when He has sent a person to help me. I haven't always understood that people could be "messengers" for God. A phone call, letter, or smile could be little messages of strength. In our world of social media, those messages can come as a picture on Facebook or a Scripture shared on Twitter. We don't always know how God will make us strong, or if He's waiting for us to call out to Him and ask. But the promise is there.
