#6 - Humbled.

I'm trying to do good things without trumpeting my accomplishments.

I could provide you with a list of how I try to make a difference in the world, but it really doesn't matter.

Why?

Because no matter what I do, someone else does more.

It really isn't a competition, instead, it is a wonderful lesson for me to learn (over, and over, and over again, apparently).

Here are a couple recent examples that should clarify where I'm coming from:

1.  My kids are in a Christian singing group that has an annual retreat around the end of October.  All day Saturday rehearsals, fun time on Sat. night, sleepover, and then all day Sunday rehearsals topped off by a performance for the parents.

I play bass in the band, and my wife is the coordinator for the group, so we're committed to the weekend.  However, there are many other parents who sacrifice their personal time to help out and chaperone.  One such individual helped provide me with some perspective at this last retreat.

Everything was going great for me during the weekend, right up until an hour before the performance.  We had just eaten a potluck lunch, and all of a sudden, I wasn't feeling so hot.  I struggled mightily throughout the performance, but was able to make it all the way through without bailing.

Feeling pretty good about myself for putting the group ahead of my nausea, I read Facebook the next day to find that not only did the aforementioned individual sleep in the boys' cabin as a chaperone (a prescription for little sleep), he went into work on Sunday night and worked third shift.

All day Saturday running sound, up late Saturday night, all day Sunday running sound, followed by a full shift in a factory on Sunday night.

Makes my little battle seem pretty insignificant, right?

Wait, it gets better.

2.  Where I work, we have meetings.  Lots of them.

One of my colleagues seems to perpetually struggle with the concept of maintaining consciousness in the meeting context.  No matter where we meet, there's a good chance he's going to doze a little at some point.

I'm embarrassed to admit that I might have made some comments of a mocking or humorous nature regarding this situation.  As it turns out, he has a pretty good reason for being a bit sleepy during the day.

He volunteers at a men's homeless shelter downtown.

Since someone needs to be on duty overnight, that responsibility falls to him when no one else can be found.

So, there are days where he will work during the day, go home for a few hours, and then stay awake all night at the shelter to supervise.

I'm thinking that if that were me, I might be a bit sleepy in meetings as well.

Again, I don't think that living a good life is a competition against others; instead, I think that we can all do good without boasting, and just be an inspiration by example to others.  I can tell you that both of these men have inspired me to step it up a bit, especially regarding the concept of sacrifice.

Who challenges you to do the same?