Midnight In The Er

Midnight In The Er

Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning . . . You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever! Psalm 30:5, 11-12

Graveyard shifts in the emergency room can bring out the worst cases. It seems that patients with strokes and heart attacks arrive at the same time as victims of horrific car accidents. Crying babies can be heard above all the usual noises, and the line for X-rays can get lengthy with all the broken bones. During the overnight shift, weariness sets in for both the sick and those who treat them.

“Will this pain ever end?”

“Will this night ever be over?”

“How long will our weeping last?”

Waiting for answers while the night grows longer can cause both patients and providers to lose patience. But as a doctor, I know that when dawn bursts over the eastern sky, our cortisol levels start to rise as well. We experience a kind of rush of adrenaline. With this boost of God-given energy from the body, we can often experience a lift in our moods. We begin the new day with hope.

During those rosy-pink hours of early daylight, doctors often find that they are able to wean patients off of artificial systems and oxygen tubes that have kept them alive. They have made it through their dark night, and during the first hours of light, they begin their journey back to independence.

TODAY’S RX

No matter how dark the night or how loud the cries, morning releases mourning and restores the soul to new life.

God, thank you for piercing the darkness with your light. You reenergize me daily with your hope. This world does its best to cloud my vision, but you lift the fog and show me your great love.