When I was growing up my parents were not good at saying “I love you” or giving out hugs. It really wasn’t until my early 30s that I started hearing those words when I would come home for a visit. Do not misunderstand me—I knew my parents loved me, they proved it over and over by their actions. But they did not say it until I was older. I am not sure why it changed, but I remember being surprised the first time my mom actually said “I love you” when she hugged me goodbye. Those were words I treasured because I did not hear them very often.

When I was in high school, I remember going to my friend’s house and she would say to her mom, “I love you” and her mom would always reply, “I love you more.” I would longingly think how nice it would be to hear those words. They really were not a contest about who could love the most, but an affirmation that their love was deep and abiding.

I have been thinking about the phrase ”I love you more” lately and decided to look it up on the internet. It was interesting to see the different contexts in which it was used. “I love you more than the stars in the sky.” “I love you more than coffee.” (Now that might be up for debate with some of my friends!) “I love you more today than yesterday.” “I love you more than chocolate.” I am sure by now you get the gist of all the comparisons of loving you more.

When I was thinking of “I love you more,” I thought about what it means to love someone more. I love my children more than I ever thought possible, and certainly hope I could lay my life down for them if necessary. But then I thought about how much I love God. I would like to say that I always love him more than anything in my life, but sometimes it is not reflected in my lifestyle and the things that are important to me.

Looking at Romans 5:6-11 and we get a good snapshot of the “I love you more” of Christ. Through his death on the cross where he took on our sins, he truly showed us how much more he loves us.

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by this blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life. Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” – Romans 5:6-11 (NIV)

We were lost in sin, but God loves us more than anything or anyone. Because he sent Christ, his only son, as a sacrifice by the shedding of the blood on the cross, we can walk in a new life. When I think about the fact that Christ shed his blood for all sinners and took our sins upon his sinless self, I recognize what a great burden that was. All sin: gluttony, pride, lying, cheating, sexual sins, murder, and the list goes on.

I believe when I tell Jesus “I love you” and he tells me back “I love you more” he truly does.

Who do you love the most? It is good to love our family and friends, but it is best if we can say of all of those things, “I love you more” to Jesus.