But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. [Matthew 5:44 (NLT)]

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. [Romans 12:14 (NLT)]

Although we may not have armed foes, we do have “enemies.” We all have people in our lives who wound our hearts and souls. It may be a boss or a client, a neighbor or a “friend,” an in-law, a child and even a spouse, or simply some stranger met by chance.

Whoever these “enemies” are and whatever it is they might have done to hurt us, Jesus tells us how we are to respond: with love! It doesn’t matter that their behavior is totally unjustified; we are supposed to pray for them. It doesn’t matter how much they have hurt us; we are to respond with love. Instead of condemning them, we are to reach out and bless them. That’s a tall order; are we up to the task? For whom should we pray today?