Love Child

Do you have a love child; a piece of writing that is really special to you; something you’ve bonded with, and you really want to share? I bond with almost everything I write, so I have a lot of love children. Sometimes I really want to find a home for these children and when things don’t work out with a publisher, I am not quite sure what to do with my orphans.

This is just the case with a love child that I will share with you today. This poem feels special to me, but so far no one wants to publish it. This is a religious poem, so it needs a religious home. I have tried all the religious publishers that I am familiar with and, alas, they have all rejected it.

Since no one wants to publish my love child, I have decided to share it with you. I hope that you will enjoy it. I hope that it will remind you of someone who loves you very much and would love to hold you close. I hope that it will remind you of the seed of divinity that is within you.

I imagined my love child as a picture book with beautiful illustrations of the Savior. I had hoped that it would help children to feel the love of Jesus. Perhaps, instead, it is for the child in each of us. You can imagine your own illustrations. Maybe my orphan can find a home in your heart.

How Much Does He Love Me
By Linda Kay Garner

How much does He love me,
Jesus, my truest friend?
He loves me more than words can tell
or mind can comprehend.
For on this earth He walked the path
That showed me what to do.
I want to serve Him all my days.
I promise to be true.

How much does He love me,
Jesus, my powerful friend?
For He commands the thunder
and He commands the wind.
His love is warmer than the sun,
More mighty than the sea.
His voice is gentle as the snow.
His words, “Come follow me.”

Oh how I want to follow.
I promise not to stray.
He has the power to bring me home,
if I can just obey.
And though the days are sometimes hard,
the nights are sometimes long,
And on my own I’m sometimes weak,
Together, we are strong.

How much does He love me,
Jesus, my gentle friend?
He is the one who died for me
that I might live again.
He is the one who bled for me
in Gethsemane’s sacred garden.
He is the one who pleads for me
that God will grant me pardon.

He conquered death. He conquered sin.
It is my favorite story.
He is the shepherd of my soul.
He is the King of Glory.
I do not know how great the cost,
What pain He had to suffer.
He died for you; He died for me;
Our Savior and our brother.

How can I show my love for Him,
My Savior and my King?
What do I have to give to him?
What offering can I bring?
The gifts He gave are mighty.
The gifts I bring are small.
He wants me to remember Him
And share His love with all.

And when I take the Sacrament
I do remember Him.
I think of how He chose to live
completely without sin.
I think about the BREAD OF LIFE
while I eat the bread,
And of the multitudes He taught,
and of the ones He fed.

I hunger for His warm embrace
and for His healing touch.
I promise to be like Him.
I want His love so much.
I thirst for His forgiveness
when I falter and I sin;
And when the cup reaches my lips,
He bids me, “try again.”

I think of LIVING WATER
and I promise to obey,
To stand for truth and righteousness
at home, at work, at play.
I think of His commandments.
I will try to do my part.
I’ll give to Him my love, my hands,
and most of all, my heart.

Today is a great day to remember Him who heals all wounds, feel close to Him, and remember who you are. Have a beautiful day.

Linda Garner