The signers of the Declaration of Independence didn't have a heroic bone in them not until they put their lives on the line. That's when we find out what we are made of. That's when we discover our gifts when we put ourselves on the line for the common good. In the modern world we want our gifts up front, we prefer a down payment before we take any risks. In our world it's assumed that healthy people take care of themselves first, tend their own garden, feather their own nest.
Charity begins at home and pretty well ends there too.
A woman who was being given a tour of a certain church. Well, nothing, actually. That woman was almost frightened by the idea that someone would give that much of their time with no financial reward. Frankly I don't blame her. Real Christians are scary people.