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"If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles."
(Matthew 5:4, NLT)
Principal Virdie Montgomery went the extra mile. He is the principal of Wylie High School, located northeast of Dallas, TX. Montgomery knew the graduating seniors in the class of 2020 could not come to him, so he decided to go to them... all 612 of them. He drove 80 hours and over 800 miles to personally visit each graduating senior at Wylie High. The students were amazed that he would care that much. He helped take the sting out of the harsh realities of not having a prom to attend, a graduation, or a yearbook signing--events most of us take for granted.
Jesus taught us in the greatest message ever preached (the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7) that Kingdom citizens live differently from the rest of the world. Some believe that Jesus' high ethical standards are impossible for mere mortals to attain while here on earth. Surely such standards are meant for the next life in heaven. However, I believe these moral precepts should be pursued and obeyed here on the earth.
For example, a Roman soldier could legally demand for a citizen to carry his gear. Jesus taught that in this instance, we should go ahead and take it another mile.
A Roman's soldier's gear could be quite impressive. Here is what the average soldier then would have on him:
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