Otherish
Seth. Our first. A son. Beloved from the moment we knew we'd welcome him into the world. Now 10 days old. Small. Precious. A nursing infant. Natural and intimate he was sustained by Melanie.
Pain. Somethings wrong. A lump. Fevered and drained of life as she sustained life. Mastitis. Medicines prescribed & nursing recommended to counter the infection. An intimate act now torturous. Melanie shuddered each time he nursed. Crying out in exhausted whisper, "Oh, Little Man, you got to help Mama get better. Help Mama." She wept. He nursed.
Broken. I wept. I prayed. I served. Her loving sacrifice amazed me. I was humbled.
Years later, not of my own ingenuity, but guided by a marriage retreat questionnaire I asked Melanie, "When did you feel most loved by me?"
"When you took care of us when I had mastitis with Seth," immediately came her undoubted reply.
I never knew. I never would have guessed. I am glad I asked.
Selfish is easy. It comes natural.
Otherish is not. Not easy. Not natural. Otherish is supernatural. It is God powered, other focused, and self sacrificing. Otherish is the agape love of God flowing through us. Otherish is putting ahead of ourselves. Otherish is giving beyond our want into our need.
“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
If you were touched in reading this or would like to share an otherish story of your own, then please do so with a comment below. And, if you aren't already, please subscribe to receive new posts automatically.