Best part of my day or Screwtape 2

I had a day. MAN!!! Honestly, it was a normal day, the only thing different in this day was that I didn't sleep last night so I was cranky and in a bad mood. And that makes for a bad day. Usual stuff, take Whitney to school, go to work, save the world,(okay, just two lines from shutdown) and then home to take Whitney to Subway because "there's nothing in the house to eat", back home, take Whitney to volleyball reffing clinic (didn't have to take her, stopped for gas at Kwikshop, in line behind McKinsey, sweetest varsity volleyball player on her way to same clinic, puts Whitney in her car, and I get to come back home.) Put laundry away, start another load, load the dishwasher, go to the grocery store, spend an hour in Walmart to realize I have a grocery cart full of stuff, only two items from my list, sausage and pancakes on a stick for Whitney, and hair product for Whitney (because, OH NO!!! GASP!!! We are out of one of the 7 hair products she uses. Okay, that's not fair, 3 are for straight hair, 3 are for curly hair, and one is mine. This, however, is not counting shampoo and conditioner.) So I take my $87.26 worth of stuff to the car, stop at McDonald's for a diet coke because Walmart is out of diet coke. No lie. Put my groceries away, eat a piece of chocolate cake that I bought at Walmart (BEST PART OF MY DAY). Pick Whitney and Denae up from volleyball and take them to Applebee's for a birthday party. Denae's mom will bring Whitney home. Stopped at Dick's to pick up Roctane, Steve's running fuel of choice. Packed Steve's lunch and now, I think I'm done. Normal day. Except I was feeling sorry for myself. Honestly, I can't think of anything anyone did for me today to make my life easier or to help me out, or even a kind act other than McKinsey.
Here's the deal though. All day long this thought has been in my head as I've run around feeling like I'm giving more than I ever receive.
"He really loves the hairless bipeds He has created and always gives back to them with His right hand what He has taken away with His left." (The Screwtape Letters, p 72.)
In a season of "takeaways" I hold on to this thought, that God always gives back more than He takes. I've seen it. I've even lived it. And if I back up to page 71, Screwtape is talking to Wormwood about the "Enemy" (God). I'm going to shorten and paraphrase, but it's really worth reading. Satan pushes a false humility, pretty women trying to believe they are ugly, clever men trying to believe they are fools. Believing humility consists in trying to believe our talents are less valuable. But God wants us to come "to a state of mind where we could design the best cathedral in the world and know it to be the best, and rejoice in the fact, without being more (or less) or otherwise glad at having done it than he would be if it had been done by another." To be so free that we can rejoice in our talents as much as anyone else's, gratefully, and being able to recognise all creatures and creation, EVEN HIMSELF as excellent. Because this is how we truly love others as we love ourselves.
Now back to my thoughts...if we put ourselves down, our talents down, think we aren't good enough, aren't worthy of love, aren't special as a creation of God, than loving others the way we love ourselves, well, it just isn't much to offer is it. Because if God really loves his "hairless bipeds" (I really love that), than we should truly love ourselves, give God the praise for the talents we have (even if it's shopping at Walmart and driving carpool) and love others wholeheartedly, unabashedly, and see them as marvelous works of our Creator.
Last thought. Creation sermon this morning I heard on the radio on my way to work. God is a consuming fire. Have we made him a candle flame in our lives? I'll be thinking about that one for a while.
Love all of you!