“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” Martin Luther King Jr.

Have you ever been asked to do something that was not exactly what you had been preparing to do? Maybe a project at work was not in alignment with the career path that you imagined or maybe it was a need at your kids’ school that pulled you in despite having no experience, OR your Dad talked you into being President of the Roswell Rotary Club. HAHA

There is something compelling about a life that unfolds not by design, but by duty, when a life is shaped less by ambition and more by answering the call when it comes. This week, we have the privilege of hearing from Georgia’s Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John King, a man whose story reminds us that service is not a single decision, but a lifelong pattern of choices. Imagine a young man who first learns discipline not in a boardroom, but in uniform. A man who steps forward to serve his country, and through 40 years of military service, he rises to the position of Major General in the United States Army Reserve. In private life, he doesn’t retreat from service, but he doubles down. He becomes a sheriff, a respected leader of his community, walking alongside the very people he is sworn to serve. But here is the twist: just when that chapter seems complete, the call comes again.

This time, it’s not from a commander…it’s from the Governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp and the year is 2019. The assignment is different, but the responsibility is just as significant: step into a statewide role that touches every family, every business, every individual in Georgia. It’s a transition from boots on the ground to policy at the highest level, but the mission remains the same. Protect. Serve. Lead.

Today, that same commitment is evident in his leadership as Georgia’s Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner. In a role that blends regulation, consumer protection, and public safety, he continues to serve in ways that impact millions, while ensuring fair markets, protecting policyholders, and navigating the complexities of an ever-evolving insurance landscape. It’s not always visible work, but it is essential work. And it is carried out with the same mindset that defined his earlier years: show up, do the job, and serve people well.

And perhaps that’s where his story intersects most meaningfully with ours. Because if we’re honest, not every call to serve arrives at a convenient time. Not every opportunity to lead is one we eagerly seek out. I’ll admit when I stepped into the role of president of this club, I didn’t approach it with perfect enthusiasm or a fully formed vision of what it would become. Like many of us, I had other priorities, other pressures, and maybe not the exact mindset I should have had on day one.

But something changes when others begin to rely on you. And in that moment, service stops being an idea and becomes a responsibility. That’s what “Service Above Self” truly means. It’s not reserved for just a few of us. It lives in each of us and in the way we respond when we are called, whether we planned for it or not. It’s in the quiet decisions, the consistent effort, and the willingness to step forward when it would be easier to step back.

Because in the end, a life of service isn’t built on titles—it’s built on choices.

Sic Vos Non Vobis

Trummie Lee Patrick III