Jesus once had an encounter with a rich young man who had come to him for advice (Mark 10:17-22). During the course of the conversation, verse 21 says, “Jesus looked at him and loved him.”

Even though Jesus knew that this young man was struggling with pride and greed, he loved him. Even though Jesus knew that the young man would soon ignore his advice and walk away from him, he showed great compassion for him.

We are to follow the example of Jesus. We must strive to love those who make it difficult for us to do so. Some people in our lives are struggling with ugly sins. Others will continue to disappoint us and frustrate us with their poor decisions. These people have a lot of needs: guidance, advice, or perhaps even a word of correction. But what they need most of all is our continuing love.

Let’s always be practicing our look of love.