Thanksgiving is past; December has descended upon us. It is “officially” the Christmas season. We have now entered the time of year when people go above and beyond what is normal for them. You’ll see people being more charitable, more forgiving, more patient, more loving. Enjoy it now because the holiday spirit will soon dissipate as it does every year.

Let me offer this challenge to us, however.

When Jesus told His people to go the second mile (Matthew 5:41), the idea was to go one step further than what the culture deemed “enough.” Don’t just settle, don’t just skate by, don’t just do the bare minimum like everyone else. Instead, go above and beyond and, in so doing, stand out.

Eleven months out of the year, the world around us is prone to bitterness, ingratitude, petty vengeance, and more. Our call, therefore, is to go the second mile and be kind, forgiving, patient, charitable, etc, with those who are typically not that way. But, as I said, this is the time of year when everyone acts like that. For that we should be thankful but we should also see it as an opportunity for us to step up. During this month, while everyone else is going the second mile, let’s be the kind of people that go a third mile. Let’s look around us at what is the current norm in our culture, short-lived though it may be, and go above and beyond that. If we do, we’ll be able to stand out even amongst the crowd of those feeling extra joyful and triumphant this time of year.

Go the third mile, Christian, and let the light of Christ shine brighter still!

~Matthew