No Excuses

VERSE FOR TODAY: Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds and to be generous and willing to share.                                                                        1 Timothy 6:18

Dr. Baker, a medical missionary to Sierra Leone, was fishing in the Jong River when a canoe approached carrying a severely ill woman. A quick examination of the woman revealed that she was bleeding internally. Dr. Baker paddled two miles up-river, 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. A universal donor, Dr. Baker quickly gave a unit of his own blood to the patient. He then surgically removed an ectopic pregnancy that without emergency surgery would have led to the patient’s death. 

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. Most of us, destined to realize our potential for service in unnoticed ways, can provide generous acts of kindness as meaningful as those who paddle canoes upstream, give their own blood, and perform life-saving surgery.

Whether in the jungle or in a cozy suburban neighborhood, those who serve must consider giving to others more important than personal accomplishments and individual security. 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?”