I call you my friends, says the Lord,
For I have made known to you all that the Father has told me.
John 15:15
Do you have that friend with whom you can share your special moments and your deepest thoughts? We consider such people a real blessing indeed. When we pray today, let's don't forget to ask for a blessing on our friends, past and present who are there for us, who listen to our stories, and who share their own life stories with us. We can pray for kindness "waves of love" to wash over our friends and their loved ones.
It feels good to pray for our friends, and Jesus calls us His friends when we follow Him and take care to keep His commandments. While all of this is very nice, what about praying for and wishing kind thoughts and happiness for those who irritate us? In the sermons of Jesus we know He clearly said to love not only our friends, and those we find easy to love, but also to pray for and love those who persecute us, those who have wronged us, or hurt our feelings. What's interesting in this perspective is: Isn't that person ususally someone who is close to us, either a family member or a forner friend? But I will say that asking for a blessing even for those who have hurt us, is included in all that the Father has taught us and through Jesus, it is not only possible, it can be very rewarding.
