If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Matthew 5:41
I don’t like that verse. I would much rather it say, “if someone forces you to go one mile, tell him to take a hike.” When someone makes an unreasonable request of me or tries to take advantage of me, my natural response normally isn’t “sure…no problem, in fact here’s double!” But yet, that’s exactly what Jesus expects us to do.
Think about it…Jesus calls us to be fully available to be fully taken advantage of. It doesn’t seem fair, right, or fun does it? Now I’ve seen naive people allow this to happen to them without anyone knowing…as if they had “sucker” written on their foreheads. But Jesus isn’t asking us to be naive about it, but to be completely aware of it and do it anyway!
What might this mean for us today?
It means if someone says something hurtful about you, say something that blesses them.
It means if someone steals your idea, give them another idea and give them the credit for it.
It means if someone asks you for a ride to the airport, give them a ride plus carry their bags as well.
It means if someone that is an E.G.R.(Extra grace required) person wants to have lunch with you, you’re available and you pay for the meal.
It means if someone is dominating the conversation, continue asking them questions about their life.
It means if you are working your butt off and never hear “thank you” from your boss, you thank your boss for the opportunity to work for them.
It means if the neighbor’s dog poops in your yard, you clean up the poop in your yard and theirs.
This is the way of Jesus. What would happen if His followers lived this out every day? Do you think that we might make a difference in our world?
