God Loves You . . . Do you?

Today's post will be short - a change from my usual rambles. My neighbor is a lovely, hardworking divorced mother of two. Her children are kind, polite, and her eldest has a part time job in addition to completing his final year of high school. Her youngest makes a special effort to check up on our elderly neighbor and always has a sunny smile for everyone. Although I tend to keep to myself I have spoken with her on a number of occasions and like her very much. She is, like most of us struggling financially, utterly and completely weary. You can see it in her eyes, the distant idea that life was supposed to turn out differently. She has given me a ride to the store several times, and I can see that she offers kindness to anyone that needs it.
About a week ago she put a Christmas wreath on her door. I thought it was a lovely wreath, very festive, and reminded me that I needed to do the same. I couldn't afford to purchase one so I made a wreath from scraps of garland, tinsel and ornaments and hung it up. Standing outside I looked at mine, and then hers and had the thought that anyone looking at the two would clearly think mine looked terrible and clearly hand made and cheap. I wanted to take it down but didn't - after all, it was all I could afford and I'd done my best. It was made with hope, anyway, and that would have to be enough.
A few days later we had to call an ambulance for our elderly neighbor (that will go in another post as it, and another incident, clearly demonstrated to me that God had great timing). After the ambulance had taken her away we spoke for several minutes and she brought up our wreaths. She told me that after I put mine up she felt embarrassed to have hers up, she thought mine was so much nicer. I stared at her in astonishment for a moment and then I laughed till I cried while she looked at me a little worriedly.
Do you see what we do to ourselves??? WHY are we so hard on ourselves? Why can't we love ourselves? Why must we measure ourselves against others? Against our long ago dreams? We measure ourselves with faulty rulers, I assure you. The only measurement should be the love of God and I can promise you have it, fully and completely.

Psalm 139:14 I will give thanks to you because I have been so miraculously and amazingly made. You're works are miraculous and my soul is fully aware of this.

Psalm 136:26 Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love lasts forever.