Dear Ones,
Hope you had a good weekend, especially you fathers. Kurt and Brenda stopped by Saturday night to wish Al a happy Father’s Day and yesterday we went with Mark’s family to church and then to their bnb for steak dinner and afternoon. Today I see the Paramedic and later going to Mark and Andrea’s for our final time together. It has been a wonderful time to see them nearly every day before they go back to N.C.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Every child needs secure attachment and to know they are safe because they are seen by someone who will respond if they are in distress. Such children are resilient. Those that pray experience God’s love even when things are not as they would wish them to be. They know someone cares for them. Somehow in my childhood, I felt like my dad would always be there, rescue me if needed and make things right. It left me feeling secure even when we were poor when Al was in seminary, going through challenging times, and yet feeling God would take us through.

Professor Justin Bailey writes that there is a connection between attachment and how we approach prayer, experience joy, hope, forgiveness, etc. When we know a God who sees us and loves us, we feel secure and can trust His promises. We can’t secure ourselves in the fallen world that is full of evil and violence. If we try to find security in the world, we will find there are no safe places. We all have different responses because of our early childhood experiences. Bailey writes that if we were blessed with secure attachment, we develop a positive image of ourselves and others. We can solve problems and know that we have support from others when needed. If we have a preoccupied or anxious attachment, we may look at others positively but have a negative image of ourselves. We will be fearful others won’t be there for us. If we have a dismissing or avoidant attachment, we have a positive image of ourself but negative view of others and don’t feel a need for them. If we have a fearful attachment, we avoid close relationships and have a negative image of others as uncaring and ourselves as unlovable.

After reading about attachments, I see the importance of accepting and loving my self, but also having loving relationships with others where we feel safe. Maybe as you read this you didn’t have loving parents, but the Lord can be our attachment figure and heal our sense of insecurity. He is a father to the fatherless. Even if our parents forsake us, we can say as David did in Psalm 27:10, “For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.” As we draw close to the Lord in prayer, we may begin to be seen and can trust. It is a gift when the Lord also gives us persons who listen to us and see us for who we are.

Challenge for today: Pray that the Lord will help you feel safe, and thank Him that He sees you and loves you unconditionally.
Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy