"If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles." Matthew 5:41
In honor of his daughter who was born blind, Mike Bruno ran two Pittsburgh marathons while blindfolded and tethered to a friend to guide him. He then later pushed his daughter, Cassie, for a third time to complete 26.2 miles. But what he did last Saturday was what prompted the headline, "Father goes the extra mile for daughter at Pittsburgh Marathon." This time Mike gave the tether to his daughter and guided her through the one mile Children's Marathon race where they embraced at the finish line. Mike says not only does exercise strengthen his bond with his daughter, who also has autism, but he hopes their story will raise funds and promote awareness, acceptance and inclusion for everyone with disabilities.
You know when it comes to doing more than what's expected, as Mike did to help others besides his daughter, the Bible tells us that you and I are to always do more than what is asked of us saying,"If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles." And you can be sure that doing more than what is required is no easier now than it was in Jesus' day when Roman soldiers had the authority to force civilians to carry their heavy loads. Thankfully for them though, Roman law said that a person only had to do this service for one mile and then he was free to go. Since they had no Garmins then, the mile was measured in steps, one thousand to be exact. And you could probably bet they counted every single one of them and when they reached one thousand, they stopped.... done and not one step more.
So why would Jesus ask them to carry it another mile then? Because as followers, that's what sets us apart. You see most everyone will do what's required of them rather than face the consequences of disobedience. But how many others will sacrifice to go the "extra mile"? To do what is not required of them simply to show the love of Christ? Will you?
So why would Jesus ask them to carry it another mile then? Because as followers, that's what sets us apart. You see most everyone will do what's required of them rather than face the consequences of disobedience. But how many others will sacrifice to go the "extra mile"? To do what is not required of them simply to show the love of Christ? Will you?
Heavenly Father, thank you for the greatest example of what it means to go the extra mile, your son Jesus who made the ultimate sacrifice of dying on the cross for sinners just like you and me. Help us to love others like that, that we might do more than what's expected and thereby show the love of Christ to them. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!!!
Hanna Kerr - Radiate
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