But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! Matthew 5:44
Is there someone in your life you really hope you won’t run into today?
Hatred would have been too strong a word for how Sam felt about his coworker, Caleb. He simply preferred not to be around him. Ever. If Sam arrived at work first, he placed his bag on the chair beside him. If Caleb got there early, Sam found somewhere else to sit.
Caleb had a way of filling the room the moment he walked in. He spoke loudly when Sam craved quiet. After even a short exchange, Sam felt drained, diminished, and quietly irritated.
It’s easier to imagine loving humanity than loving the one person who irritates you on an ordinary Tuesday morning. Yet Jesus says something hard to ignore: “Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). It’s hard to escape the conclusion that He meant people like Caleb.
Notice that Jesus didn’t begin with feelings. He didn’t tell us to like everyone. He began with prayer, because prayer changes things profoundly. It places the person we struggle with into the presence of God. And they are no longer just an inconvenience; they are a life as complex, burdened, and deeply loved as our own.
Prayer doesn’t excuse wrong, and it doesn’t remove the need for wisdom or boundaries. But it does begin to loosen the tight knot of contempt. As you begin asking God for someone’s good, you may find your heart changing in ways argument never could.
The love Jesus describes isn’t sentimental. It is costly, deliberate, and often quiet. Yet this love frees the one who gives it. Who in your life feels difficult right now? What might happen if you began—even reluctantly, to pray for them?
