Jesus handled praise by honoring God the Father rather than bringing attention to His own great abilities. Servant leadership empowers others and brings signficance to their lives. Many of the college students I have worked with over the past twenty-five years have pointed to a pastor who has worked in relative anonymity. It is that pastor who made a significant impact on their lives. Invest in lives of people.
People are the basis of our significance.
Our significance does not depend upon the grateful appreciation of individuals. But rather, it comes from the fact that we have touched one of God's creations in a personal way. Jesus illustrated this by taking time to converse with a Samaritan woman at a well. Jesus took the children up in his arms and blessed them. These acts were hardly headline news.