It’s rather easy to love the people who are near and dear, but that’s not the calling set before us.

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Matthew 5: 44 & 45

Many people in my life are easy to love. They fit neatly into circles – Family, Nice Friends, Fun Co-workers, Disease-Free Neighbors, Engaging Celebrities.

There’s plenty of space for these wonderful people on little prayer cards. They get full pages in my bullet journal.

But what about the people who don’t quite fit so neatly into my life? There’s a maximum amount of stress I can tolerate; my patience meter only goes so high.

Some people are on Santa’s Naughty List, there’s no other place for them. These folks are mean, rotten and probably even smell like elderberries. If given the opportunity, I would fart in their general direction.

That’s the problem – if given the chance to be gracious, I would (and often have) been ruthless, or at least, sought revenge. While family creates an orderly grouping, a helpful strategy is to draw a circle around all the jerks I associate with, and love on that group just as much as the others. Get to know them, be patient and kind to them.

I have more in common with some of the best jerks I know, even more in common than I have with the kind and tenderhearted people in my life. If my name were added to a list, there’s not doubt which list it would be included – and I have received infinity more patience and goodness than I deserve.