Love ≠ Tolerate

Growing up hearing an average of four sermons a week, I got my fair share of the "love your enemies" lesson. However, it wasn't until a few weeks ago when I was reading it on my own that the gravity of the Matthew 5:43-48 passage began to hit me hard.
Whenever I had heard or studied these words of Jesus before it still said "love your enemies", but I always read it as "don't hate your enemies". There weren't many people I regarded as enemies in the first place, so whenever one of those few people came to mind I would be quick to mentally forgive their wrongdoings and go on not liking them (but NEVER hating - I was a good Christian, remember?). So, basically, I had conquered that command (sarcasm implied) and was waiting to dutifully obey whatever Jesus told me to do next.
However, after 21 years in the church and observing those verses for at LEAST the 382nd time, I really started to understand it. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus isn't calling us to not hate our enemies, and he isn't even calling us to tolerate them. He's calling us to love them. All those years I had unconsciously replaced "love" with "tolerate" and didn't even think twice about it.
So why does that matter? Because, at least for me, when I choose to tolerate I choose to ignore. You're annoying and I don't like spending time with you? OK, I'll quickly change the direction I'm walking through the cafeteria to avoid crossing paths or shut my dorm door so you won't know I'm there. I'm technically not hating you…
But I'm certainly not loving you.
After I realized my drastic mistake, I began to think of the people I love the most in the world and how I demonstrate my love for them. I send them encouraging notes. I pray over them by name. I surprise them with their favorite Starbucks. I seek them out in church or the cafeteria to give them a "Danielle hug". I set aside my precious time to laugh with them, listen to them, and just be with them. That's how I love people - well, the people I like the most. And after reading that Scripture for the first time truly comprehending the standard Jesus was calling me to, I realized that's how I should start to love the people I like the least.
Love your enemies - don't just tolerate them.