Spontaneous LOVE

Spontaneous Love: The Mark of Spiritual Maturity

Hello friends — I’m coming to you today from Frisco, Colorado, as we wrap up our reflections on Jesus’ story in Luke 15, often called The Parable of the Prodigal Son.

Today’s question is simple but challenging:

What kind of person is formed by basking in the love of a Father like this?
A Father who runs to meet the wayward son.
A Father who leaves the party to plead with the resentful, self-righteous son.

What kind of person emerges from living daily in that kind of love?

What Spiritual Maturity Really Looks Like

Author Dallas Willard once said,

“Spiritual maturity is expressed in spontaneous love for the enemy.”

Think about that. Spontaneous means something that arises naturally, without effort — an inner impulse that flows from who we’ve become.

But if we’re honest, what often rises spontaneously in us isn’t love. It’s anger, defensiveness, sarcasm, anxiety, contempt, or the mental lecture we give to those who see the world differently.

Spontaneous love is rare — but it’s the fruit of a soul formed by the Father’s love.

Everyone Is Being Formed

The truth is, everyone is being shaped by something. Whether or not you believe in God, your soul is being formed. The question isn’t if you’re being shaped — it’s by what.

Are you being shaped by the extravagant love of God,
or by the forces of division and outrage that dominate our culture?

The test is simple:
Do I have spontaneous love for my enemy?

Because spiritual maturity isn’t measured by correct doctrine, perfect morality, or passionate advocacy. Those things matter — but they’re not the measure.

“Spiritual maturity is expressed in spontaneous love for the enemy.”

That’s the kind of love that could look at its executioners and say,

“Father, forgive them; they don’t know what they’re doing.”

The Cushion of Mercy

We may not face crucifixion, but every day we face moments that test us: disagreements, irritations, frustrations. The question is — can you show up spacious enough not to be thrown off by them?

Can you listen before reacting?
Can you hold difference without hostility?
Can you move through the world surrounded by a cushion of gentleness?

That cushion, Scripture calls mercy — the posture of pardon even before offense. It’s the daily decision to forgive small things quickly, to extend grace before being asked.

Mercy is a million little acts of forgiveness.

This doesn’t mean ignoring injustice. Mercy and justice walk hand-in-hand. But it does mean letting go of defensiveness, pride, and the impulse to prove ourselves right.

Imagine starting each morning by “putting on a coat of mercy,” ready to meet the day’s irritations with grace — until love becomes your natural response.

The Way of the Father

Our culture won’t train us for mercy. The world fuels our spontaneous outrage, not our spontaneous love. We’re told that gentleness is weakness, that now is the time to speak louder, fight harder, prove our point.

But the Kingdom of God is not anxious. It’s not in danger.
Its values — forgiveness, mercy, peace — are more real than the values of empire.

To live in that Kingdom is to live in the love of a Father who welcomes everyone home.
A Father who is generous to both his lost sons.
A Father who extends mercy even to his enemies.

So this week, let’s ask God to grow in us that cushion of mercy.
Let every irritation become an invitation — to forgive, to listen, to love.

Until what flows out of us is not resentment or fear,
but spontaneous love.