One of the images that is etched indelibly upon my mind is of my father polishing his shoes.  Every Saturday at 5PM, like clockwork, my father would spread several pieces of newspaper on the basement floor and gather  some tattered shoe boxes filled with an assortment of brushes, rags and oils. He would then don a pair of  old jeans and a white T-Shirt, grab a folding chair and begin the three-hour process of polishing every pair of shoes he would wear for the upcoming week. 

It was during this weekly ritual that he would dispense the hard-earned wisdom he acquired through the years.  Between brushes and spits, he would toss out axioms, anecdotes, and principles for living.  I would watch him almost every week.  I was amazed by how long it took.  But mostly, I was amazed at the skill, precision, and pride he took in the process.  One of his favorite expressions was ,  "see, if you take care of what you have, it will last.” Then, he would hold up one of the recently polished shoes, rotate it in the light, admiringly nod to himself and say with that booming voice, “Doctor, I bought these shoes in 1968…and they still look good.” Then he would rotate them once again so I could see the shine. I can’t remember a time when the shine wasn’t so dazzling that you couldn’t clearly see your reflection on the shoe.

As I have matured, I realized that my father was showing me more than just how to shine shoes.  He was almost teaching me an important life lesson.  The lesson was how important it is to take care of what you have.  I also realized that one of the reasons my father took such good care of his shoes was that growing up, he only had one pair.  So he had to take care of them because they had to last.  As his shoe collection grew, he never outgrew the habit of polishing his shoes.  He took such good care of his shoes that when he went home to be with the Lord, my mother called a few of his friends to see if they wanted some of his shoes. There was a line outside my momma's house like it was club.

The lesson I learned from my father is also the first lesson that the first man was given by God.  After God created a paradise on earth, he formed a man from the dust, blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and then gave him an assignment.  Genesis 2:15 says God told him to "dress and keep” the garden where he had been placed. The phrase “dress and keep” is a translation of the Hebrew word “shamar,” which means to guard, protect and attend. Perhaps the best translation of “dress and keep” is to “care.”  It is worth noting that not long after his creation, God gave the man he created something to take care of. Adam had a job before he had a woman!

The opposite of care is neglect.  One of the most dangerous sentences in the English language is "I Don't Care."  It so easy to fall into the lure of neglect. Many of us are guilty of

neglecting our appearence

neglecting our families

neglecting our faith

neglecting our health

and neglecting our finances.

In Acts 2 Scene 4 of Henry V, one of Shakespeare’s characters makes a characteristically incisive comment. Dauphin says that “self love is no greater a sin than self neglect.” That is quite a compelling observation. It suggests that loving oneself too much is as dangerous as loving oneself too little. When we neglect ourselves, we fail to properly value the best gift God has given us outside of salvation. I have discovered that it is far easier to take care of our stuff than our souls; our property than our personalities; our lawns than our loved ones; our money than our minds; and our automobiles than our attitudes.

In her book The Art of Extreme Self Care, Cheryl Richardson says there a few telltale signs if you need an upgrade in self care:

• Are you continuously breaking promises to yourself once you’ve planned ways to care for your emotional, physical, and spiritual health?

• Do you live in a chronic state of resentment because you do so much for others that you don’t have time to do the things you want to do?

• Are your relationships centered more on what you have to offer than on a mutual give and take?

• And have you ever fantasized about buying a one-way ticket to anywhere but where you are?

One of the most understated, underemphasized (and perhaps for that reason underappreciated) aspects of the life of Jesus is the extent to which he took care of himself. Although he poured out his life to others, there are moments in the scripture that show us just how strategic Jesus was in exercising self care. Consider the example that meets us in Mark 3:9. The scripture simply says:

Jesus instructed his disciples to have a boat ready so the crowd would not crush him.

Jesus didn’t want the pressure, the expectations, or the agenda of the crowd to crush him. So on one occasion as he prepared to meet the oceans of need that constantly awaited him, he asked his disciples to ensure that resources were available for his protection, and perhaps his rest. If you allow life to crush you, you won’t be good for anybody or for anything.

I came across a quote some time ago from the legendary baseball player Mickey Mantle that makes the case much more succinctly and eloquently than I have. This is what he said:

“If I knew I was going to live so long, I would have taken better care of myself.”