My friend’s complex spine surgery was on Monday. By Saturday the hospital was ready to discharge her … which seemed rather insane to me, considering how intense her surgery was!
But by Saturday she herself was more than ready to get out of the hospital, considering she hardly slept at all while in the hospital.
Hubby and I showed up on Saturday morning ready to take her home from the hospital.
Prior to my friend being in the hospital, I have had very little experience with hospitals. Furthermore, I have never been to a hospital on a weekend before. It did not occur to me that anything would be different on the weekends. But after parking, hubby and I were surprised to discover that the doors of the medical building were shut and locked! All the lights were off inside. That’s strange.
We walked around the corner and up the super steep hill to get to the main hospital entrance. But once again, the big double sliding doors at the main entrance were shut and locked! All the lights were off in the main lobby. That is so strange! It’s a hospital. I had no idea hospitals closed down on the weekend.
After standing bumfuzzled for several minutes at the main entrance, we finally noticed a big sign on the wall which indicated that on weekends we needed to go around to the Emergency Entrance to get in.
So, hubby and I continued on up the super steep hill, whereupon we turned right and continued around the corner of the hospital building.
Finally we made it to the Emergency Entrance … which, we discovered, was guarded as if we were trying to get into the National Archive building in Washington, DC. We had to have our bags checked, empty our pockets of cellphones and keys, and then pass through a metal detector.
Successfully passing through Security, we then stepped into the Emergency Room lobby where I informed the lady behind the desk that we needed to go to Floor 17 … whereupon she snapped at me: “Visiting or Checking In?!?”
I was so taken aback that my mind froze momentarily. Hubby to the rescue informed the brusque lady that we were “Visiting.” Much to our relief, the brusque lady allowed us to pass through the double-doors and access entrance into the hospital … and up to Floor 17.
I had no idea the hospital was locked down like Fort Knox on Saturdays!
But it does make sense.
There are so many fragile, weak, wounded people in the hospital. The hospital is a very vulnerable place, and you wouldn’t want free unrestricted access for just anybody to walk into the hospital on weekends, especially when so very few people are around.
Love protects!
When we love someone, we protect them!
For example, when our kids were little, hubby and I did not allow unlimited unrestricted access of just anybody to our kids. That would not have been safe for our kids. Just like the hospital kept the doors locked and screened everyone coming in on the weekends, so also hubby and I kept the proverbial “doors locked” and we “screened” people who wanted to be in relationship with our kids … in order to protect our kids.
Because love protects!
When it comes to our marriage relationship, love protects! We should not let just anyone have unlimited unrestricted access into our marriage relationship. The marriage relationship is a sacred space between the husband and wife.
Girlfriends do not need to know the “dirt” of what’s going on in the relationship so they can “offer advice” and gossip about it.
Family members do not need to know the “dirt” of what’s going on in the relationship so they can “offer advice” and gossip about it.
Even venting to our kids about our frustration with our spouse is not healthy for the marriage.
The marriage relationship needs to be protected! If there are problems within the marriage, appropriate “visitors” into that sacred space might be counselors or therapists. Otherwise, that sacred space between the husband and wife needs to be guarded and protected!
When it comes to things in life (duties, responsibilities, etc. …) which pile up and keep our daily schedules so busy and full, we likewise need to guard and protect when it comes to those things too … because those things could pull our relationships apart and ultimately destroy our relationships with each other.
We can get so busy coming and going that we don’t even see each other anymore. Before we know it, the love in our marriage has waned and grown cold. Before we know it, there is a distance and a coolness which has developed in our relationship with our kids. Before we know it, we are an “island” … living life in our own world and not connected to those we care about most.
Love says “No” to some things, in order to be able to say “Yes” to the most important things.
Love protects!
The lighthouse in the photo here is Point Wilson Light, located alongside Fort Worden. In times past the lighthouse warned ships as they navigated the point to enter the Puget Sound, while the fort defended, guarded, and protected the entrance to the Puget Sound from foreign enemies.
In the same way love defends, guards, and protects!
Our marriage relationship is a valuable and precious thing! Love doesn’t gossip or share those areas of the marriage which are weak or vulnerable or struggling. Love honors and protects our spouse! Love honors and protects our marriage!
Our relationship with our kids is a very special thing! Love doesn’t let distractions derail us from taking the time for what matters most! When our kids are little, love guards and protects the heart of our kids. And when our kids grow up and have their own life, love gives everything to protect that relationship.
The types of relationships we have in life are endless. So too the examples could be endless. Suffice it to say, whatever the relationship looks like, love protects those we care about!
Love protects!
