What Does It Mean to Love Protectively?

When I was younger, I once fought with this really big guy because my younger brother came home angry, saying the guy had beaten him up.

Now, my brother wasn’t even crying or anything, but as a teenager, I was like, “Why would you even touch a member of my family in the first place?”

Before anyone could stop me in the house, I raced down the steps, marched to their flat, and demanded to know why he touched my brother.

God abeg!

Imagine going to someone’s house to fight. 😭

Let’s just say the big guy pitied me that day. Maybe because I didn’t even know what I was doing, or because we were friends.

But that moment taught me something about myself: how I love.

I don’t know if it’s a good thing or not, but I’ve always been that kind of person who wants to stand in the gap for people I love.
Almost like, “If something bad is coming for them, let it hit me first, I can handle it.”

Then, when I became a Christian, I started praying to God that I would have to give permission for anything negative to happen to my loved ones. If I don’t know about it, it should not be happening.

It sounds funny now, but that’s honestly how protective love can make you feel. You just want everyone you love to be safe, happy, and fine.

And sometimes, I think God showed me mercy when I said prayers like that, because there were moments when I’d sense that something was about to happen and would just pray against it, before it came unexpectedly.

Love really does protect. That’s one thing I know for sure.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that love will always move you to protect, even when you don’t gain anything in return. Because that’s what love does, it covers, defends, and shields.

So tell me, how do you love?

Do you also have this protective kind of love for people in your life, or is it just me being dramatic again?