"I get sensitive and angry, because force implies someone is trying to control me."

A thought by Kyle Idleman, from his book, One at a Time (p. 94). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)

Here is what Kyle is talking about.

He continues, "There was this law back then that Roman soldiers could force civilians into acts of service, but there were limitations. A Roman soldier could force a Jew to carry his pack for one mile, but not any farther. The Jewish person didn’t have an option, so they’d pick up the pack and carry it a mile, but not another step. They couldn’t be forced into a second mile.

"Roman soldiers were the enemy. They treated Jewish people like dogs. So, imagine this scenario: a Jewish man is coming home from work. He’s tired and hungry and just wants to get home in time for a little SportsCenter before going to bed. He sees a soldier on the side of the road. Oh, great. This is the last thing he needs.

"The Jewish man is angry and upset every step of the way. As soon as he hits a mile, he drops the pack and marches home. What happens when he gets home? Still frustrated and angry, he slams the door, yells at his wife, is short with the kids, kicks the dog, and spends the rest of the evening in his room."

Kyle goes on, "But what if he got to the end of the first mile and said to the Roman soldier, 'You know what? I don’t mind going a second mile if that would help you out.'

"It feels like that’s giving up power, but if you think about it, isn’t he taking some control back? No one is making him do it; he’s choosing it. He might come home a little later than he had planned, but he walks in the door with dignity.

"My guess is the Roman soldier wouldn’t have known what to say. I’m sure he would have told the other soldiers about it. 'You wouldn’t believe what happened to me today. I made a Jew carry my pack one mile, and he voluntarily carried it two.' People would’ve noticed."

Kyle then says, "Jesus teaches his followers to have a second mile mentality with one person at a time, even when that person is an enemy who is making your life miserable. What would it look like to live that way today?"

It would make a difference, wouldn't it? Yes, yes! #continuethought

Comments

“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle? Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who ha...

“When you understand that life is a test, you realize that nothing is insignificant in your life.”

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Purpose Driven Life, The) (p. 57). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. To realize that from God’s perspective life is a test goes a long way in determining how you handle your life. It is important to see that in testing your character is both developed and revealed. Rick goes on to say that “even the smallest incident has significance for your character development. Every day is an important day, and every second is a growth opportunity to deepen your character, to demonstrate love, or to depend on God.” So there is a God purpose behind each situation in your life. Even the bad ones are there to strengthen you and develop you. You see those bad situations are really good ones because they are there for your good. I start each day with a reminder that God is good. Not every situation that is going to come in my day is good but because G...

“Sometimes we think we’re stuck simply because things are hard.”

A thought by Matt Perman, from his book, How to Get Unstuck (p. 52). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the That is a possible trap for many, isn’t it? Matt says, “But if you’re continuing to make progress and aren’t experiencing huge snags, you’re not stuck. Rather, you’re in a dip. “A dip is a temporary hard slog that you will get through if you keep pushing and don’t give up. And pushing through the hard slog is actually the fastest route to the destination. In these cases, you will be especially tempted to bail. Be discerning and able to identify that you’re in a legitimate dip and you’re not a failure.” Matt says another trap to be careful of, “Some people are stuck and don’t know it.” He goes on, “Everything can be going your way, going smoothly, and going quickly. Everything feels and seems wonderful. Yet... you are still headed toward a dead end, a form of getting stuck, if you are leaving God out of t...

Just Continue That Thought...

Search This Blog