"You just have to give them the look."

A grandmotherly lady was in the middle of her conversation with the Michael's cashier when I walked up. The cashier was giving her a look, but it didn't look like one that agreed with her customer.

"You know, when they are doing something that they shouldn't, just give them the look that says 'I mean it'."

"That doesn't work anymore," said the cashier.

"Then you must not be doing it right," replied the grandmother without missing a beat.

It took everything I had not to laugh out loud.

But I'm wondering today as I read the gospels, what must it have felt like to get a "look" from Jesus?
Matthew 19:25-27 (The Message)

25The disciples were staggered. "Then who has any chance at all?"

26Jesus looked hard at them and said, "No chance at all if you think you can pull it off yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it."

Okay, so we have here an example of a "look" and not just a glance but a "hard look" from Jesus. How did it work?

27Then Peter chimed in, "We left everything and followed you. What do we get out of it?"

LOL

You'd have to admit that Peter's statement may be one of the dumbest, most clueless ones of all time. :)

And it came after they received Jesus' "look". The "hard" one.

Parents, it's not your "look" that will produce change in your children. It's your LOVE.

Check the gospels. Jesus gave every ounce of love He had to those who followed Him. And though their progress was slow - and even frustrating at times - eventually they became the people who changed the world.

Grace and peace,

David