Going the Extra Mile

This week, all normalcy has been removed by an incredible number of medical appointments. I contemplated not posting this week but, after a short prayer, decided I would write a post thankful of Canada's socialized health system. The care I have received and am receiving would be beyond my means in many countries.
It is my custom to examine my life through faith so,  in prayer, Physician heal thyself came to mind. Pictures add to the popularity of my posts so I always select an image by Googling a Bible passage. For whatever reason, the attached Dilbert cartoon came up.
It immediately brought to mind all the health professionals who went far beyond minimum requirements. Next, an image of a doctor performing surgery on himself flashed through my mind. The absurdity of a surgeon removing his own appendix is obvious. Then Rabbi Haim's allegory of long spoons came to mind.
In hell, people seated either side of a long table spread with a fine feast are tormented by spoons attached to their hands which are so long they are unable to get them to their mouths. In heaven, the same scenario is plays out with each person happily feeding the one seated across the table.
    We are not here to serve ourselves; we are here to serve first God and then neighbour. We were not created to serve enterprise; enterprise was created to serve us. Enterprise functions properly when it assists in serving God and neighbour. Certainly, job descriptions are of value. They assign responsibility and authority as necessary to accomplish the goal of the enterprise effectively, efficiently and economically. But we are not tools molded to serve industry. We are, each of us, an end, created in God's image.
    My sister developed a theory of slack for married couples:
1) There will always be more chores to do than are on the list.
2) Our estimation of the worth of chores we do exceeds the value our spouse assigns them.
3) Our estimation of the worth of chores our spouse does is less than the value they  assign them.
Ergo:
If each spouse is willing to contribute only their half:
1) There is still plenty left to do.
2) Each spouse will feel they have done more than the other.
3) There will be arguments.
    I can attest through my experience in construction management that this theory is easily adapted to construction projects with contractors and subcontractors.
1) The general contractor will have employees to do what falls outside the sub-contracts.
2) Every sub-trade feels they have done work that should have been done by another trade. 
3) There will be phone calls, emails, deficiency lists, and back-charges.
    Doing things not in our job descriptions, far from being a waste of time, is a necessity. Jesus tells us: Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. I am very thankful that Canada's medical system and the people who staff it follow this practice. 
                                                                        God bless.

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