"I Love You"

As I was waiting in a church lobby to serve at a military funeral, the church service ended, and the son of the man who had passed away started talking about his father.  I felt like a "fly on the wall" listening in to a very private conversation.

The son told how his father had always worked hard, had served people, done the right thing, and never tried to draw attention to himself.  His father loved his mother, and he told his sons that, if a boat ever went down, the boys had better know how to swim, because the father was saving their mother.

The son said that he'd always wanted to be like his father.  But he admitted that he'd never seen his father cry, and his father had never told him that he loved him.  And, he, the son, had never spoken those words of love to his father.

Again - "fly on the wall." 

And I started thinking about my own life, my family, and the people I know.

My sons know we love them, and my husband and I tell them that.  But I know we miss times, in the midst of conflict or stress, to reassure them of that love.   

And, as much as I'd want my husband to put my life first, he'd better be saving my drowning son, and leave me to fend for myself.  (I am a Naval Academy trained swimmer!)

But the truth is, no matter our situations, we all get that feeling of "not loved" or "not valued enough."  And we get it even though we may be told that we're loved or even shown that we're loved.

We're needy, sinful, hurting people.  

But for Jesus...

While He was with them, Jesus told His disciples of His love for them.

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.  John 15:9

And in His Word we also read, we hear, and we know of His love for us.  

Jesus showed His disciples His love for them by dying on the cross, by saving them...and by saving us...by saving me.

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.  John 15:12-13

Life's hard.  It's hard when you feel alone and not loved.  And there's times when it's really hard to love other people.  But our hope and our trust, my hope and my trust, is in the One who loves me, the One who laid down His life for me, the One who's promised to come again.  

It's in Him, in Jesus, that I know I'm loved, and it's because of Him and His love, that I can love other people, both in word and in deed.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.                1 John 4:7