Going the Extra Mile

Do you have a great story about customer service--about going the extra mile? Mine concerns my late mother's lunch out with some other "seasoned-citizens" in Dalton, Georgia. The ladies finished their meal, and were standing in the doorway of the restaurant, staring out into a North Georgia rainstorm, with not a single umbrella among them. Right across the street, bank president Marshall Mauldin gazed out his third story window, saw the ladies' predicament, grabbed his huge golf umbrella and rushed down several flights of stairs and across the street. After the ladies were escorted to their car, and were driving out of the parking lot, one turned to my mom and said, "I'm moving my money tomorrow!" My mom didn't have the heart to say that Marshall was my boyhood friend, and Marshall grew up with her encouragement, such as, "Don't worry about making all A's, Marshall; you'll be loaning all those guys their money some day."--and she was right!

No statement of Jesus has been more incorporated into our daily culture than this one. Everyone has a great story about client service, customer service, going the extra mile for the boss, and so on. Christians are called to be salt and light in our culture. But is it accurate to apply this saying just to customer service?

Consider the historical setting this saying is drawn from. A Roman soldier traveling to a new assignment in Israel with his earthly belongings in a huge backpack could request a local citizen, probably a teenager, to carry his pack one mile. Now if you know anything about teens, you know sometimes they have other interests; and even as parents, we often have to get in line for their time. I can visualize that soldier as the end of the mile approaches, and the teen begs off. "This is where we always stop," I can hear one say. The soldier is incredulous - "We've got a quarter-mile to go." The soldier has seen much combat, but he is no match for this particular teen's stubborn nature; so he gives up the argument, and starts looking for someone else to snatch up for the job. The soldier is far from home, and arguments with locals make him feel even further away from family.

The next teen has a friendly disposition, but the soldier is not in a chatty mood. As they approach the end of the first mile in silence, the soldier starts eying the teen out of the corner of his eye, waiting for some kind of shirking. At a mile and a quarter, the soldier grants him leave, but the teen keeps going. The soldier wonders; who is this kid? What's his home town. What's his family like? The teen receives a quick tour of the world, courtesy of one who has seen it all. The teen has learned the joy of hospitality; his will be the friendly face the soldier looks for his next time through.

I like to imagine two brothers discussing the soldiers and their various reactions. Then they stop mid sentence; their jaws drop; their eyes brighten; "Maybe this will work on dad!"

Teens who took this encouragement from Jesus would win a benefactor or two for their communities and families. Whether it was a soldier or a dad, each friend would now aspire to their God-given calling as protectors instead of "hasslers".

But if you think you can win every one's heart by just doing more, you have forgotten that this is something you do with someone, not necessarily for someone. Some will never be pleased by what you do. So focus on doing it with them, not for them. Your objective is to make a friend, not win over a customer.

Consider the efficacy of this tool; it enables one to cross a vast distance across racial, cultural, and religious divides. It is quintessential peacemaking. And sometimes the greatest cultural divide is between a teen and a parent. It has been a wonderful privilege to see teens embrace this attitude of service over the years. They are sincere and amazingly consistent, demonstrating that teens are the most trainable, the quickest to rise to a challenge, and the most encouraged by positive feedback; a teen's work ethic can surprise and challenge us all.