We have all heard the expression "going the extra mile".  But do we know what it really means? And so I decided to type this simple phrase into an Internet search engine. You wouldn't believe the amount of books, songs, poems, and sermons that have been written about this popular saying. I even found a number of businesses and educational institutions that carry the name Extra Mile.

The idea of the extra mile comes from the Bible. In Matthew 5 Jesus teaches his followers some valuable yet difficult life lessons. This passage is taken from verses 38-42 of the NIV:

You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

In a society in which we are taught from an early age to look out for ourselves, to defend our rights, and to fight back, it seems odd to ask anyone to go a little further, to give a little more, to do a little additional work. In fact when read from a "modern" 2009 perspective, this seems like a formula for disaster. It seems to encourage disrespectful and abusive behavior. It seems to suggest that one become a door mat!

How can a contemporary Christian reconcile Jesus' words with current reality, and still remain appreciated and respected? How can you be assertive and self-confident and still walk the extra mile? Sincerely, I don't have all the answers. I don't think any of us do. What I do know is that once you make up your mind to love everybody, you open the way for that soft voice to speak to you and tell you what to do in every difficult situation. I also know that you need to plan in advance just what this love entails; just how you will show this love, because that is how people will be able to identify you as a Christian.

There are innumerable situation in which you might need to go that additional mile. It may be at school, on the job, at church, in traffic, or even at home. Many times you won't feel like it, and although it's the right thing to do, many times it might feel wrong. There'll be times when you'll get fed up of going the extra mile and you might wonder when your turn to be favored will come. Don't become discouraged, press on.

This school year I have a special needs girl in my homeroom. Dee* doesn't take any of my classes, however. A few weeks ago her tutor didn't come to work. So as I walked into the classroom I noticed her seated there. Reading the confused look on my face, the students quickly informed me of what was happening.   I was in no way prepared to attend to her along with 27 other 10th graders. My first thought was to simply ignore her. All the teachers before me had done just that. She seemed to be entertaining herself, anyway. Besides, the special needs department was too far away and I couldn't just leave the class alone and go over there to inform them.   And so I started my lesson. The students had to read a passage silently. The moment the room grew still, she started talking to herself loudly. Twenty-seven pairs of eyes looked up at me wordlessly asking "what are you going to do?"   I smiled and walked over to Dee. "Would you like to learn a few words in English?" She excitedly answered that she would love that. So I told her to get out scissors and glue. Then I found some old magazines, and taught her some words. She had to look for pictures in the magazines and paste them under each word.

As I worked with her, I could sense my students watching me closely. I had been trying to drum into them the importance of decency and tolerance, but talk is cheap. Now I had put words into action. Halfway through the class period, the specialist came by to get Dee. I breathed a sigh of relief. Teenagers can smell hypocrisy. I had walked that extra mile and I had passed the test.

Was it my job to teach Dee? Not at all. There's a special tutor who gets paid to do that. But the rewards of showing love are beyond measure.

Not always do my stories end on a positive note. Many more times than I care to remember I have acted selfishly and completely disregarded the feelings of others. I have been in positions to give more and do more, but have  indifferently ended my journey at the first mile.  Recently I offered a ride to a co-worker that lives about five minutes away from my home. We agreed that I would drop her off at a bus stop just out on the main street, where I would turn into my neighborhood. I could have easily driven her to her door, but I was tired and hungry and she was already very grateful for the favor. If she had had to take the bus home, it would have taken her at least one more hour to get home.  She didn't expect me to go any further. And I didn't, although I easily could have.

These days I have reprogrammed my mind in order to readily identify those moments in which I should make the decision to go the extra mile. What a journey it has been!