She’s from a Middle East country. She came to America on a green card. For now, she lives with us, and she’s a student at Johnson County Community College.

 In their country, they hold a lottery to determine who will win a green card and earn the right to come to the United States. For foreigners, coming to the United States is a privilege, and they all dream of a better life. If given the opportunity, most will stay here if at all possible.

But our foreign student ran into some dental issues this summer. It was easier for her to return to her country and be treated there.

 It turns out that her dentist in her home country was educated and trained in the United States. But unlike so many others, he elected to return to his country. To stay in the United States, of course, quite likely meant a much more comfortable life—a good practice, good clients, a nice house, and nice cars.

But he chose to return. Our foreign student asked him why he returned to their home country to practice. His answer was simple: the people in the United States didn’t need one more dentist. His people needed him. So he returned.

I’ve never met this dentist, and I’m not likely to meet him. But I admire him. I admire that he chose something different with his life. There’s little doubt that his life would’ve been more comfortable here in the United States. But he gave that up to serve his people.

 Oh that we all had a nation of dreamers who believe that a personal calling of service is a higher calling than comfort!

Bill High

Bill is CEO & Founder of Vyne Legacy. He works with families to equip them with tools to build multigenerational legacies, and he teaches givers and financial advisers on transformational biblical generosity. He is the co-author with David Green of Giving It All Away and Getting It All Back Again: The Way of Living Generously.

Published September 3, 2015

Topics: Generosity

Everyday Generosity