I'll Take Another Serving

Each of us is presented with opportunities to serve humanity. For some, it’s on a daily basis – such as, firefighters, teachers, doctors, and social workers. For others, it’s a less frequent occurrence – bone marrow donors, surrogate mothers, and each time one of us rises to the occasion of being a momentary hero. But, for many of us, the opportunities are less than obvious. The situation, coupled with our abilities and talents, provides us with an opportunity to benefit many, although at the time it may be viewed as an action to solve an immediate challenge.

This concept became clear to me while viewing one of those educational programson cable television. The program was about an un-modernized community whose origins could be traced back thousands of years. Archeologists could not understand how it had survived a horrific drought that destroyed similar communities across the country. The answer was revealed to them when they uncovered a crude grain silo constructed under the village.

The silo was simple in its design and yet fulfilled the need to nourish its community members until rain fell. By designing and utilizing this silo, not only did its members survive, but the direct descendents of this ancient village are alive today – an extreme rarity in this part of the world.

As I viewed this program, I began to wonder about the person who designed this life saving silo. Did everyone accept this person when he/she first proposed the idea, or did they ridicule him/her into self doubt? Was this silo created by a task force appointed by a committee to study the impact of the device over a widespread area and form a hypothesis that this was the correct action to implement? More important, was this device created to serve humanity to sustain generations to come, or was it just someone using their talents to the best of their abilities and addressing an immediate need? That’s what I think led to this creation.

The point here is that we do not always perceive the reach of our actions. So many times we think small, or we don’t perceive our daily lives as being miraculous. How many times have we heard someone say, “I just want to make a difference?” with the perception that it must be on a grand scale, or something which can be immediately measurable? I doubt that the creator of this prolific silo was burdened with the pressure of sustaining future generations, he/she probably just used a creative solution that enabled them to eat until the first raindrop hit the dry earth.

I strive to live each day stretching my mind and spirit and utilizing my abilities to their highest degree, so perhaps the results can be life changing for me, those around me, and maybe even those I may never meet. It is with this faith that I must view and conduct my life to live my highest potential.