I’ve been thinking about Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5 where I vaguely remember how, if someone wants a tunic from you, you give him your cloak as well, or how, if someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. It’s a teaching on doing even more than what’s expected or demanded.
I think about that expression “go the extra mile” in a new way. What would it meant to not only fulfill someone’s request (or demand) but to also do even more? How can I practically “go the extra mile” in how I treat both friends and strangers?
In a very practical and immediate example, my phone rings and a woman asks me to make a large salad or several batches of cookies for a women’s ministry event. She needs food, and gathering volunteers seems to overwhelm her. Suddenly I say something out of character for me so surely led by God: “What if I brought both for you–the salad and the cookies?”
It was a simple moment of responding to a request with even more. And now I find myself waiting for the next request so I can do even more.