Last week was sports day at school. During one of the races for the tiniest children I was amused to see a dot of a child running rather slowly and coming very much last in his race.
Rather than stopping once he had reached the finish line however, he then ran onto another track and into another race that had not yet begun. Some parents were holding up the finish tape which he ran into with great joy, imagining that he has won (which in some ways he sort of had!)

It reminded me of the phrase ‘running the extra mile.’

He really did – bless his little heart!
“The first shall be last and the last shall be first.”

There is a lot about the kingdom of God that is upside down. This little boy was such a brilliant reminder that sometimes it is the weakest who are made strong.

As he crossed the finish line (of race two) he was cheered and applauded by parents from a totally different age group of children. It was a lovely sight and one I shall never forget.

Today, we are cheered on by our loving Heavenly father who loves to watch us running the extra mile for Him and for others.