At work today I saw a lady wearing a lanyard for her keys and some sort of ID badge, and printed on it were the words “I love Jesus” but instead of the word ‘love’ there was a heart.  I have seen bumper stickers like that too.

To be honest, it made me a little uncomfortable.  Not that I doubt her love or devotion to Jesus, but often have questioned my own.

I trust Jesus, but to say ‘I love Him’ …  well I do, but it’s a constantly changing thing.  More often than not I can identify with Peter, who when asked by Jesus if he loved Him replied, basically, “I like you a lot.”

Maybe that is one reason that I have been uncomfortable with many contemporary worship songs that have the congregation professing an ardent, almost romantic love for the Savior. I have never been one to have what the culture calls a ‘man crush’ on anyone.

There are men that I can say I love; my dad, my grandfather, and some friends and mentors. (One friend calls this non-homosexual male philia.) I can say there are times when I feel like that towards Jesus.

It also seems like a private thing to me. I gladly and publicly confess to being a Christian or a follower of Christ, but my love, devotion and personal feelings are just that; personal. (So here I am writing about it. Yeah, I know.)

The church at large might benefit by looking into this subject especially in regard to why more men don’t attend worship, instead of adopting wholesale feminine categories of intimacy and love in our worship services.

Anyway, these are one man’s thoughts on the matter, FWIW.

By Pat K

Posted in General