Jesus Loves the Little Children

And He Loves Me, Too

“For God so loved the world , that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 (KJV)

Absolutely, Jesus does love the little children. He told His disciples once to let the children run up to Him and talk to Him and hug Him. Well, small children are really cute and loveable, and most of us enjoy picking up a small child and hugging him or her. But Jesus goes further; He promises them eternal life if they believe in Him. 

Jesus promises me eternal life, too, but I am not easy to pick up and hold on His lap. And I am not always lovable, but He loves me anyway. All that lovable cuteness I had as a small child has disappeared and has been replaced by what we like to call reality. I don’t mean that I don’t love Jesus, but somewhere along the line I have picked up worries and concerns about the vicissitudes of life. “What will the doctor say?” “Will prices ever stop going up?” “Will the money make it to the end of the month?” “How much will my car repair cost?” “What did Joe mean by that remark?” “Do my friends really care?” You get the idea. As we grow, we experience all the changes and problems of life, and it takes away some of our child-like trust and joy and replaces them with adult responsibilities. 

Guess what! Jesus still loves me because I am a “whosoever” who believes in Jesus, and that’s who Jesus came to offer eternal life to. He will never forsake me no matter how tied up I become with the problems of life. He is always just a prayer away. A very effective prayer is, “Jesus, help me!” Another very effective prayer is, “Jesus, I love you!” He always responds to both of those prayers.

Maybe I can’t picture Jesus picking me up and sitting me on His lap, but I can picture my Father God doing just that. I am loved by God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit all day, every day. God, forgives me for all my sins if I will just ask Him. 

Jesus showed just how much He loves me by accepting the inhumane treatment He was given two thousand years ago--scourging, beating, mocking, and finally crucifixion. Then shortly after that He showed me how much He loves me by bursting out of the tomb and declaring victory over sin and the grave. Yes, Jesus loves the little children, and He loves me, too. He loves me just as much as He loves you. Thank you, Lord, for your faithfulness.