Do you treat yourself like a rusty shovel?

This morning I cleaned out my garage.Well, really, I just moved most of the things in it to the basement.

When I was cleaning, I noticed my shovel. I remember when I bought it in Santa Cruz, California. The shovel was going to build a garden. I bought the best shovel they sold. It has a wide foot bed, and a wooden handle.

The shovel was put in the bottom of a moving van. It traveled from California to Pennsylvania.

The shovel is rusted. The wooden handle is rough and the paint has peeled off. After I used the shovel to dig a garden in Gilbertsville, I didn’t put the shovel away. The dirt was still on the shovel this morning.

The shovel sat out in the rain for weeks. Neglected.

The shovel when I bought it was valued. I made sure I cleaned the dirt off of it and put it away.

The shovel is me.

I don’t take care of myself. I am rusted and my paint is peeling off. I don’t value myself.

It has been days since I remembered to put on face lotion, my legs are hairy and need to be shaved. My children have been to the dentist and had their teeth cleaned. I haven’t made my appointment yet.

This morning I cleaned the dirt off of the shovel. Tomorrow I will sand down the wooden handle and oil it.

I looked on-line for a quote to that will help me tell you:

Be nice to yourself. You are worth more than a shovel.

It is easier for me to say, “You are worthy,” than it is for me to believe it for myself. I know God made me. He made me with brown hair and hairy legs. I am 5 feet and 6 and 3/4 inches tall. God doesn’t make mistakes.

Why do I believe I am not worthy?  Why do you believe you are not worthy?

Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God’s love encompasses us completely. … He loves every one of us, even those who are flawed, rejected, awkward, sorrowful, or broken.
― Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Please take care of yourself. Don’t stand in the rain.

Do you need to make an appointment to get your teeth cleaned? I am going to call my dentist first thing tomorrow  morning, and I am about to go and wash my face and shave my legs.

How about you?