“And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me’” (Mark 10: 21-22, emphasis added).
Life doesn’t always turn out how we planned.
Dreams are deferred. Doors close. And things we once treasured slip through our fingers.
Our small, simple souls can wonder, “Does God really love me?”
This week, while reading a familiar passage, I noticed a phrase that never stood out to me before.
In Mark 10:21-22, before Jesus asked a wealthy young man to “‘Go, sell all that you have and give to the poor … and come, follow me,” He first “looking at him, loved him.” (emphasis added)
That detail stopped me.
Why would Jesus ask this young man to give up his wealth? In that culture and time, many people believed that material abundance was a sign of God’s blessing. And yet, Jesus challenged the young man … not out of discipline, not because Jesus enjoyed denying him something good, but because He loved him.
The young man walked away grieving, unable to see that true riches are found in knowing and loving the Savior, unable to comprehend that the treasure Jesus was offering was far greater than the treasure he was being asked to leave behind.
I wonder how many times we do the same.
How many things do we cling to that quietly compete for our affection?
How many ambitions, possessions, relationships and expectations become obstacles holding us back from what matters most?
How many things does God strip away because He knows they would ultimately draw our eyes away from Him?
And how many things does He withhold because He loves us too much to give us what would only hold us back from the greatest treasure of all?
Him.
Oh, friend, sometime God’s love doesn’t look like giving us everything we want.
Sometimes it looks like inviting us to let go of lesser treasures so we can discover the One who truly satisfies.
Until next time,
Shelby
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