(EDITOR’S NOTE: I look forward daily to reading the devotional articles posted by Annette Seymour. This morning’s is particularly riveting and I absolutely had to share it as a Guest Commentary with readers of my online publication, BAHAMAS CHRONICLE, which has a huge following among the Bahamian diaspora across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom as well as in The Bahamas and the wider Caribbean.
GUEST COMMENTARY: BY ANNETTE SEYMOUR
FREEPORT, Grand Bahama, October 31, 2023 — As I reflected on my devotional, I reminded me of God’s love and how He gives it unconditionally. I believe as a child, we first learn about God through our earthly father. We learn what a father is like – for better or worse — and we also determine our value and worth from the relationship we have with them. Our experience as children shapes who God is to us and who we believe we should be.
A young girl not having a father figure in her life creates vulnerability within her. In many cases they are exposed in their human neediness. As women, God made us with a deep desire to belong, to be known, and to be loved for who we are. When this is not our experience, it triggers our inborn survival instincts. Psychologist calls this a “Flight or Fight response.” We adapt, cope, and pursue ways to fulfill our desires. We often look for love in all the wrong places.
In my mid-adult life, I went through a period just stumbling through life, trying to figure out who I was, where I was going, and how to get from point A to point B. I found myself in places I had no rights being. I tried on different personas and ended up in many dysfunctional mixed bags. I predominantly chose the “Fight” approach. Like most women, this is the emotional equivalent of putting your best foot forward. The best offense is a good defense. But it is only a pretense, cover up, and a false self. I thank God daily for His forgiveness, grace, and mercy on my life. He is doing great things in my life taking me places I never dreamt I would go.
People, I don’t know what kind of relationship you have with your father or how it shaped your view of God and yourself. But I know the God who is “a father to the fatherless” and who “sets the lonely in families, He provide needs to the needy, love to those who are hungry for it and forgives like no other. We don’t have to prove ourselves worthy of His love, or earn it through impressive behavior. We are loved because that’s who He is. “God is love.” God sees through the people we personify to the heart of the child He made and loves.
As daughters of the King, let’s put all behind us, we can truly love because God has first loved us. Dare to let Him love you with His fierce love in the false places. I can’t think of anyone who would be more captivating to others than the love of God. You just might become the most remarkable girl they’ve ever seen. May The Son shine His love on us today.
In His grip,
Annette Seymour
