A good friend of mine Jeff Baker, RN recalled an image from his childhood. When Jeff was ten years old, he and his father, a medical missionary to Sierra Leone, were fishing in the Jong River when a canoe approached carrying a severely ill woman. A quick examination of the woman revealed that she suffered from an acute abdomen. Jeff and his father paddled two miles up-river to their village, the canoe with the distressed woman following closely behind.  After disembarking, passengers from both canoes drove in Dr. Baker’s jeep to the hospital, a mile from the river. Jeff’s father, a universal donor, quickly supplied a unit of blood. Then he surgically removed an ectopic pregnancy and gave his own blood to the patient.

Those who, after reading about Dr. Baker, feel compelled to convert their Cadillac into a Congo canoe can consider this caveat: All of us don’t have to be missionaries to serve others, nor to reach our highest potential.

Most of us, destined to realize our potential for service in unnoticed ways, can provide generous acts of kindness as meaningful as those that attract national attention. Whether in the jungle or in a cozy suburban neighborhood, those who serve must consider giving to others more important than ego building. The standards for service are “How much can I give?” not, “How much can I get?” “What is right thing to do?” not, “What is the safe thing?” “What is the maximum possible?” not, “What is the minimum possible?” All of us possess a potential far broader than we can guess, a potential that becomes fulfilled by service.