Our reading is Matthew 5:41
“If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.”
Roman law was clear. A soldier could tap your shoulder and force you to carry his pack. One mile, but no more. It was the law of the occupied, the routine of the powerless.
But Jesus had a different idea.
“Go two miles,” He said. Not because you have to. Because you choose to.
The first mile? That’s the mile of duty. You trudge through it. You count your steps. You rehearse your complaints. It’s the mile where resentment grows with every footfall. You walk it because the law says so, because life demands it, because you have no choice.
But the second mile? That’s different. That’s the mile of love. Nobody’s watching. Nobody’s keeping score. The soldier didn’t ask for it. The law doesn’t require it. You walk it simply because grace has changed your heart.
We all have first-mile moments—interruptions we didn’t want, burdens we didn’t choose, people who demand too much. But the second mile? The second mile changes everything. It changes your resentment into your kindness.
Jesus didn’t just teach the second mile. He walked it. All the way to Calvary. All the way to the grave. All the way back to life.
So the next time someone forces you to go one mile (perhaps they are rude or thoughtless), remember: the second mile is where your faith shines brightest.
I’m Lonnie Davis, and these are thoughts worth thinking.