Today I Saw A Man
Today I Saw A Man
By Wade McCoy, MD
Bethany Oklahoma
Today I saw a man. We agreed to meet at the nursing home. His wife, Millie, has Alzheimer`s disease. She requires twenty-four hour care. I met him to make a medical visit with her. As we got off the elevator, he bounded toward her room like he was headed to the ice cream counter, moving down the hall at a fast pace on his way to see Millie. At the end of the hall he entered the last door to the left. Today I saw a real man.
Today I saw a man almost bounce into the room of his ill wife. He knelt down beside her chair, more like a grandchild than a husband. He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead and said, "How are you today Millie?" He brushed her hair out of her face and commented on how good she looked. Today I saw a real man.
Today I saw a man go into the bathroom and get a hairbrush. He brushed her hair gently and rubbed the back of her head. He told her how pretty she looked. He looked down at her feet and said, "Millie, your shoe is untied." He then knelt before her and tied her shoe before urging her to get up and go for a walk. Today I saw a real man.
Today I saw a man recognize that his wife`s lips were dry. He went to the table and poured her a glass of cold water. He then approached her carefully and placed the straw in her mouth. He patiently urged her to drink because she looked dry. Today I saw a real man.
Today I saw a man take the arm of his frail wife and walk to the door. He walked her out into the hall and had her sit down while we reviewed her chart. He sat with me and we looked over her medical data. We visited about her disease and her demise. I watched as his emotions turned to grief. He wept. He didn`t sob for himself-on all that he was missing. He didn`t sob because of the apparent burden his wife was placing on him. He sobbed when he said, "I looked at some pictures of Millie taken years ago. I remembered how smart and alive and lovely she was." Today I saw a real man.
Today I saw a man lead his wife down the hall to the dining room to feed her. He would give her every bite she took at the meal. She no longer feeds herself. I parted ways with them, but today I saw a real man.
Today I saw a man, a Christian man-a person that has truly taken on the character of Christ. He is a humble servant, though he`s also a successful attorney. I saw a man put his wife`s needs before his own. I saw a man sacrificing many hours of his day for his ill wife.
At that moment, I realized that we sometimes do catch a glimpse of how Christ affects people. I realized that in comparison to this scene, many other matters that concern Christians seem petty. It became clear to me that the Christian message is more about servanthood and less about which political party speaks for God. I understood the Christian message is about sacrificial loving more than it`s about overcoming the band wagon of moral issues that preoccupy the Christian community cultural war machine. I understood that this message of Christ is always more about being loving than it is about being "right." Today I saw a man, a Christian man that looked more like Christ than I could have ever imagined.
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