Late last night, the toddler in the apartment overhead rhythmically jumped on their uncovered hardwood floors, sounding like cannon booms through our ceiling. At least it seemed that loud as I was under the covers trying to sleep.
It's a downside of apartment life. I remind myself we are not perfectly quiet either, as my husband turns up the TV volume to hear it in the galley kitchen.
She is only a little girl, I tell myself, about three years old and does not know that I am under her floorboards trying to sleep. Her parents may be unaware that insulation is non-existent in this building, and we hear every footstep - let alone jumping rope or whatever she is doing that moment. We haven't mentioned it to them...
A disturbing thought rose from my cranky, sleep-deprived ego after a stress-filled day ~ "Someone should shoot that little--" I put a stop to that thought immediately, horrified and repulsed, even if I didn't mean literally "shoot" her, but just find some way to silence the noise.
After shoving that rude thought aside, I turned to God in prayer. At this point, a layer of angel feathers between floors would be a great Blessing. Right? Or how about some earplugs that would not worsen my ear-infection? I got a Blessing, but in a different form...
"Would you welcome God if (S)He wanted to visit tonight?"
I thought, "In my dreams? Sure!" In fact, that would be something to look forward to... if I could only get to sleep with all that pounding upstairs!
"Would you welcome God in the form of a three-year old girl jumping overhead?"
WHOA!
I admit, I didn't see that one coming. But it is true; God's Spirit is within each of us, as well as beyond space and time. God is in that little girl, happily playing like little girls do.
Reluctantly, I accepted this and let it sink in. The pounding continued, but I found Peace. God is within me too, and letting go of the animosity of the moment was the only way I could accept God and Peace.
I don't know how much longer the jumping continued, but for me, I could no longer hear it. I vaguely remember hearing the water running for her bath as I drifted off in a peaceful lullabye to beautiful dreams.
What a world of difference a change in perspective brings.