By Watchman Nee

Nothing has done greater damage to our Christian testimony than our trying to be right and demanding right of others…We ask ourselves, Have we been justly or unjustly treated? and we think thus to vindicate our actions. But that is not our standard. The whole question for us is one of cross-bearing…

A brother in South China had a rice field in the middle of the hill.In time of drought he used a waterwheel, worked by a treadmill, to lift water from the irrigation stream into his field. His neighbour had two fields below his, and one night, made a breach in the dividing bank and drained off all his water. When the brother repaired the breach and pumped in more water his neighbor did the same thing again, and this was repeated three or four times. So he consulted his brethren. “I have tried to be patient and not to retaliate“, he said, “but is it right?” After they had prayed together about it, one of them replied, “If we only try to do the right thing, surely we are very poor Christians. We have to do something more than what is right“.

The brother was much impressed. Next morning he pumped water for the two fields below, and in the afternoon pumped water for hiw own field. After that the water stayed in his field. His neighbor was so amazed at his action that he began to inquire the reason, and in the course of time he, too, became a Christian.

So, my brethren, dont stand on your right. Dont feel that because you have gone the second mile you have done what is just. The second mile is only typical of the third and the fourth.

(Excerpt from Sit, Walk, Stand).