He First Loved Us
“Do you love yourself?” my second-grade classmate asked me. I knew I had a choice to make.
“Yes, I do,” I said. “The Bible says we should love others as ourselves, so that means we need to love ourselves.”
Well. They loved it! That little nugget gave them fodder to chew on and spit out for weeks.
It reminds me of all the times I’ve heard John ridiculed for referring to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23). “Gosh, not very humble, John!” people say with a laugh.
Some people in the Bible were certain of Jesus’ love.
John was one of them. In fact, he repeatedly referred to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved.
When Mary and Martha sent for Jesus when their brother Lazarus was sick, they said, “Lord, he whom you love is ill” (John 11:3b ESV).
They knew that Jesus loved them and their loved ones, and they weren’t ashamed to say it. They didn’t clothe it in pseudo-humility, trying to hide the fact that they knew Jesus loved them, in an effort to not seem proud.
Neither John, Mary, nor Martha were saying that Jesus only loved John or Lazarus.
They understood there was more than enough of Jesus’ love to go around. They knew that speaking confidently of the fact that He loved them was not bragging. It was, in fact, encouraging others to understand this about themselves.
When I said I loved myself as a kid, I wasn’t saying I thought I was perfect or the best kid around.
This statement spoke to something deeper. It illuminated a rhythm: God loves His children… so that we can love ourselves… so that we can love others…
“We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19, ESV).
We love ourselves because He first loved us.
Friend, Jesus loves you…
Because of His love, you can love yourself and others.
Society might ridicule us when we say, "Jesus loves me." But let’s celebrate and lean into the fact that He loves us - and the same love we are called to show to ourselves is the love that points us to the Greatest Love of all!
We can be the light that our communities need. A light that beams the truth they are loved by Jesus, and in Him they can love themselves and others well. May it be so.
Meet the Author
Joni Boyd
Joni lives in Sydney, Australia with her three grown kids and husband of two years, Nathan.
After being divorced several years ago, Joni is grateful for the healing God has since done in her family and in herself. While she never expected to be divorced or remarried, this season is a precious gift from God and she is grateful for all of it.
Joni is passionate about encouraging women to go deeper with Jesus - so they would know that while life may not be as smooth as we’d like, Jesus is not afraid of the mess, nor does He lack the power to heal and transform.
