Go the Extra Mile

Sometimes, risk-taking in life is difficult, and each person has their own choices to make. If I want to take a risk in my life, I need to think carefully about what the consequences might be. But the Bible says that sometimes, taking risks in life can be a blessing for others.

We often think about the consequences and what might happen to us, but we rarely consider the goodness it might bring to others.

For example, someone may be longing for companionship. Someone might have a lot to share or be burdened and in need of a shoulder to lean on. Someone might be feeling lonely and longing for someone to simply be there. Sometimes, we truly want to be the answer to their longing—we want to be the one who listens, comforts, or cares. But we hesitate to take the risk, because we’re focused on what it might cost us. We rarely think about the blessing it could bring to someone else’s life.

Jesus came down to this earth not thinking about the consequences for Himself, but about the goodness it would bring to us. God is always good—He was never selfish. Yet we so often think only of ourselves: What will benefit me? How will this affect me? Instead, we should ask: What joy could this bring to someone else?

The Bible says, “Go the extra mile” (Matthew 5:41). There is nothing wrong in going the extra mile. In fact, there is always a blessing in it—not only for others, but also for us. When we go that extra mile, we can bring a smile to someone who is hurting, to someone who is longing for love, healing, or even just our presence.

Let us be people who are willing to take risks—not out of selfishness, but out of love. Let us go the extra mile, just as Jesus did. Let us think not only of ourselves, but of others, and the beauty we can bring into their lives.