O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. – Psalm 139:1–2

Most of us learned the song “Jesus Loves Me” as kids. The words are simple: “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” I remember it from Vacation Bible School at the Shabbona Forest Preserve before I started kindergarten. I’m sure we all sang it with full gusto, long before we understood the weight of its truth. But there’s a twist on those lyrics that I think of often. My friends, Randy and Neva, have it on wallpaper in their church: “Jesus knows me, this I love.”

That small change carries a powerful message.

It’s one thing to be loved. It’s another thing… sometimes harder, to be known, truly known. To be known below the surface, behind the smiles, beneath the Sunday clothes, known in our fears, in our doubts, our failures, known in our quirks, in our questions, and even in our sin. And yet, Jesus knows us and still loves us.

That’s what makes His love different. It’s not based on who we pretend to be. It’s not withdrawn when we’re struggling. Jesus doesn’t love some ideal version (or Instagram version) of you. Jesus loves you and Jesus knows you. We live in a world where many people feel unseen, misunderstood, or invisible. We long to be known, not just liked, not just noticed, but understood and accepted. That’s a need Jesus meets perfectly.

On this Sunday morning, waking up with my grandsons, this song was on my mind, and it feels even sweeter. Maybe it will for you, too: “Jesus knows me, this I love.” Because being known and still loved that is the heart of the Gospel.