Once, my mother quickly moved to the back of a bus, taking an inconvenient seat and thus freeing up space for others. A nearby woman asked why she did this. My mother replied that more people might still board and need space to get on the bus rather than getting stuck at the entrance. The woman was surprised, "You think about others?"

I remember this incident well. It is so typical of my mother. She has spent her whole life thinking about others and taught me that it was crucial.

I grew up with this rule too: think about others. However, it played a cruel trick on me, a fact I only realized after coming to church and starting to analyze my emotions.

I often got angry at people. I was outraged. Do you know why?

— How can someone park in the middle of the lot? Others might still be looking for a parking spot!
— How can someone yell on the subway? Others don’t want to hear that!
— How can someone walk down the middle of the driveway? There are sidewalks, and cars can’t pass.
— How can someone walk straight on the snowy sidewalk, making it inconvenient for me?

I was upset that others weren’t thinking about others. But after some spiritual excavation of my consciousness, I realized: I was upset that others weren’t thinking about me!

When I’m driving, I’m bothered by pedestrians who don’t care about drivers. When I’m walking, drivers ignoring pedestrians irritate me.

That’s how it is! Selfishness finds a way to manifest, even twisting the good lessons I was taught as a child.

Perhaps it's because thinking about others only makes sense when it stems from genuine love for others.

Father Dmitry Smirnov once shared a story about a friend who moved into a new apartment with no running water. It turned out the faucets were attached to the walls, but no pipes were connected. Father Dmitry concluded, "The people who built this house had no love for the future residents." This insight shocked me. Love from builders for strangers? How is that possible?

But maybe it is possible. If in Christ. And Christ is about sacrifice.

So, I will try to learn not to think about how others don’t think about others. I won’t think about it at all. Instead, I will do things with love. Lord, help me understand how to love even strangers. Theoretically, I understand — All people are Your children. Now, it’s time for practice. And only with prayer. Lord, fill my heart with love, fill it with Yourself!

Original article: radiovera.ru/dumat-o-drugih-natalija-langammer