Going the Extra Mile

I know that at times I ask people to go beyond their normal limits. I have run or maybe I should say jogged and walked seven marathons. I can remember the first marathon I did with a few friends where we trained about three months before the big event. It meant serious sacrifice with having to get up very early and run almost every day of the week and then do at least a three-hour run on Saturday mornings. I did have days that because of doing the all consuming type of work I do meant I really wasn’t in the mood or mind frame to meet someone at 5 am to run on the canal.

I know that helping people is a choice most of us make when we are relatively young. It is usually because of a parent, special friend of grandparent that we are shown the power of a helping hand. The challenge is whether giving is something that we have to do 24/7 regardless of circumstances. I get texts from both youth and adults for last minute help. Sometimes it is truly an emergency that needs immediate attention. Other times it is more a by-product of someone’s laziness where they wait until the last minute to think through what they need. I know that not having power when it’s 110 plus is dangerous especially for little kids.

On occasion I have special requests from friends to help someone where I’m not sure of the outcome or whether it is something that I should actually do. I am learning that sometimes the wrong type of help can be more harmful than not helping at all. It is difficult at times to assess whether some are more in need of learning to step up on their own and actually show initiative for themselves. Sometimes I feel more like a taxi or pizza delivery service.

Over the years God has brought special friends to Anne and I where we have helped in ways that ultimately impact our new friend’s life and forces others to get involved. I’m willing to expend my own resources but I’m not always sure about how far I should go with asking for help from others. Last night we helped a new friend move all of his worldly possessions into his small apartment. We had gone swimming most of the day and I had told my new friend that I couldn’t help until around 6:30. I knew that it was going to be hot and we would have to perform miracles to get oversized couches through small door openings.

After returning the U-Haul and trailer back to a closed yard in the bad section of town we finished getting everything off the small yard area in front of our new friend’s place. I knew that my crew of 4 guys would be ready for a shower, food and bed sooner than I wanted to admit. I was so fortunate to have friends that were willing to go the extra mile. I know that in spite of the potential of a few pulled muscles or smashed toes that everyone was going to be fine. The key question was whether we had helped our new friend get set up in his new place so he could maneuver when we left.

I work with at risk youth and adults that at times are going wait for you to do it for them. Our goal is to empower them to step up and take ownership for their life circumstances. Sometimes this means that I let some fail so they can learn from experience that going the extra mile is the best path to follow. Especially if it means you get your act together sooner versus later. I know that with running marathons that finishing, which is everything, can only happen with a little or a lot pain or injury. My hope is to be a conduit for others to see the rationale behind becoming men, women, boys and girls that choose to go the extra mile often in life. It is in circumstance like this that ordinary people do extra-ordinary things that change the world!