My Jesus, I Love Thee, v. 1
Devotion
My Jesus, I love Thee, I know Thou art mine;
For Thee all the follies of sin I resign;
My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art Thou;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, 'tis now.
I have never chosen this hymn for congregational worship. Its language is out of date and it's too sentimental. But it holds a special place in my heart because it was one of my mother's "alarm clock" songs. If she felt my sisters and I had slept long enough, we'd often hear her strong voice singing us awake. A frequent choice was this old hymn. I think back on what she was doing as she sang—household chores, work brought home from her office, preparing a Bible study to teach. Certainly none of it was glamorous. None of it is noted in Wikipedia. No big Elijah moments. Just the small ones. Yet it perfectly expressed our mother's faith. She did not expect to find God in only the things that are perfect. Nor did she turn to God only in times of need. In the everyday act of getting stubborn children awake she could sing, "If ever I loved thee, my Jesus, 'tis now."
Prayer
God of our sustenance, help me to love Jesus, even in the midst of the small things. Amen.