“Doctor gave me a relaxation cassette. When my blood pressure gets too high, the man on the tape tells me to say, ‘Serenity now!’”
- Frank Costanza

For over a year, Jason and I have been subjected to the various clatter of sundry tenants in the corporate apartment above us. You see, a company in Nashville has leased out the upstairs apartment for its transfer families, moving a different family in an average of every six weeks.

As is typical, most of these families have children, small children, children who like to run and jump and drop-kick anvils, for example.

After a year of our walls, dishes and even floors shaking, a year of countless noise complaint letters, a year of peaceless-ness, Jason and I decided to do something about it. We thought rationally through our situation, wrote a wish list of what we would ask the apartment management for, and set up an appointment with the office.

On Tuesday, we were given every one of our hopes without having to ask!

Wooded-view apartment – done
Third floor – check
New carpet – got it
New tile – it’s yours

They even threw in several other perks to compensate for all we’ve put up with the past year plus the insanity of moving.

We could hardly believe it and took to immediate rejoicing, basking in the glow of justice, even buying a couple little things for our new nest that we would inhabit starting July 12.

Then came the blow. Today we learned that the new apartment is not going to be available for an additional week. Without going into detail, the following week is the absolute worst possible time for us to move; near impossible, in fact.

But we’re going ahead with it. What else can we do? We’ve talked to the office again, asked for a compromise, done everything but go to the current tenants of our new apartment and thrown them out.

We are stuck. And what do you do when you’re stuck, when you’ve got to get out of the place you’re in, but you can’t make it to where you’re going…not quite yet anyway.

For me, the recipe is simple: throw a temper tantrum, cry and whine to your significant other and your sympathetic mom, and then, with emotions raw and ragged, the insanity of ever-changing circumstances camped all around, muster a cry for, “Serenity Now! Serenity Now!”

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I’ve said it before; I am a sponge. God has been pouring out His life-waters so richly in recent days that I can hardly keep up.

But what I’ve found with these new awarenesses and learnings is that I’ve become frustrated. Thankfully, last night, God was intent on showing me a clearer picture of what it’s like between us when He’s teaching, guiding, and reproving.

I had popped in my favorite movie, To Kill A Mockingbird. About 30 minutes into the story, Scout has done something that requires Atticus to set her straight, to discipline her. And he does. But as he does, he sits next to her on the porch swing, pulls her to his side, wraps his arm around her, and gently explains how she needs to behave.

After their conversation, he smiles, helps her hop down from the swing, and pats her back as she skips off.

I paused the movie to think, to thank, to receive this picture of the way God reproves and disciplines me; gentle, tender, even smiling at the opportunity to teach and guide me.

I kept watching the movie, this sweet image lingering with me, and it wasn’t long before Scout again needed reproving. And again, Atticus took her to his side, put his arm around her, explained things, told her what to do and what not to do, and sent her on her way.

I have a Scout-like walk, I decided; I need constant teaching, constant guidance, constant mercy. But I also have a Dad who, no matter how many times I miss it, pulls me to His side, wraps His arms around me, corrects me, and then smiles as I skip off.

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