It’s easy to get caught in the game “He Loves Me; He Loves Me Not” with God. Things go well: He loves me. Things go not so well: He loves me not. The events we celebrate this week should settle this game of back and forth. But why hasn’t it?
In all honesty, it’s an innocent and natural reaction to not feel loved by God in times of loss, or heartache, or disappointment. We might project a resigned sense of submission and an acceptance of “Your will be done.” But the ongoing back channels of our minds are saying to God, “If you wanted to, you would have fixed this. Why didn’t you want to?” This quickly leads to feeling unloved, and thus, He loves me not.
But try this little thought exercise: picture yourself playing the “loves me; loves me not” game. Except don’t picture the game using a daisy (the traditional “loves me, loves me not” flower), picture playing that game with the plant that was part of the crucifixion, a crown of thorns.
It’s really hard to pluck off a thorn and say “He loves me not.” Jesus settled His love for us on the cross. In fact, the only way you can play that game with a crown of thorns is to pluck off a thorn and say “He loves me,” pluck of the next thorn and say, “He loves me.” He loves us. No matter how much bad is going on in our lives, He loves us. In fact, it’s during our loss and heartache that Jesus cuddles us just a bit more (see John 11), like a parent with a sick child.
By way of reminder, here are a few verses that help us define the unconditionall, everlasting love that is on display for us this Passion Week.
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.
This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.