If you think about the foundation of a Christian home, it should make every effort to reflect a love for God, but also an understanding of how that love is to be shown to each other within the family.  It really comes down to parents equipping children with the kind of love God has shown them.  So that they can be equipped, at least mentally, to be responsible to walk in love…

Sadly when love within the family is stifled, the first thing that effects the children is trusting other people with their love.  Because the idea of God for the family, was for it to be a “security” for what His love is as children.  So when selfishness of some kind comes and derails that security, healing and learning how to trust and love again, can take a lot of time.

But by the grace of God we can be healed, and learn to love unconditionally.  Trusting again by embracing God’s perfect love in Jesus.  Hopefully if this has happened, we learn to embrace strangers.  Growing in grace to put ourselves in relative situations. That we were strangers to God, yet in Christ, He came down and redeemed us!  As we continue growing in grace, we learn to relate to people in situations we’re not in, because we have compassion and empathy like God had for us (vs.3).

This is why I believe maturity in Christianity has little to do with what we know, or how long we’ve been a Christian.  It really comes down to the vastness of our heart to show God’s love (1 John 4:12).  That being hospitable is an attitude of the gospel, that reflects on how hospitable Christ has was towards us.  That we grow to reflect Christ image in the earth.

In His Love, Ld