“If a soldier or other government official conscripts your services to carry a load for him so far, you are under the compulsion; you are forced to do it. But when you have reached the end of your stipulated distance, you are a free person again; then you can say to him, “If you’d like it carried farther, I will gladly carry it for you.’ The initiative has now become yours, and you can take it not by voicing a sense of grievance at having been put to such inconvenience but by performing an act of grace.”
F.F. Bruce, The Hard Sayings of Jesus, p. 69
“The penurious moralist stingily expending himself no farther than the law requires, is a pitifully sad fellow, who has never learned that it is hard work serving as a drafted man in a battle you would like to avoid, but it is glorious business fighting as a volunteer for a cause you love.”
Harry Fosdick, The Second Mile, pp. 28-29
Turning the cheek, giving someone the shirt off your back, and slogging along a forced-mile sounds miserable. Yes? And as long as we’re in that “have-to” mindset, it is miserable. But that’s just it—the secret of the Second Mile is that you break the back of unfair compulsion with the power of voluntary generosity. It’s a completely upside-down counter-attack of kindness that frees you from that miserable victim-feeling and turns you into a victorious fighter for the cause of Christ. Come along as we contemplate what’s really at stake here, and how we can—even today—turn the tables and find joy. Join me here for Episode 12 as we follow Jesus into FREEDOM…
About the Kari Patterson Podcast: We need wisdom, y’all. Like, yesterday. Right?! We need God’s perspective. We need His heart. We need joy, resilience, clarity, and conviction. Feeling this need, author Kari Patterson opens Scripture and shares candidly how God’s Word informs her daily life. Appropriate for all ages, relatable and refreshing, join Kari for conversations on responding to unkindness, emotional freedom, parenting dilemmas, self-pity, forgiveness, and more. (Available most of the places you enjoy podcasts, including those with links above.)