Can you remember the things you enjoyed doing as a kid?

How clear are the memories from that season of your life….mine are a little hazy at times, but recently something cropped up that I jumped at.

Hubby and I were doing some work deliveries and we stumbled across a huge antique place. Being American Picker lovers, we couldn’t resist the opportunity to take a look.

This place would’ve been right up their alley, the mess, the mish mash of items and that was just the outside.

I noticed it right away and made a beeline for it. A steel structure that stood at least 2 – 2 1/2 metres in the air. I cannot explain why, but I was drawn to it. Like the coffee beans roasting in a shopping centre, or the liquorice smell in a chocolate shop.

It drew me in.

A beautiful, tower of a metal swing.

To others, it may not have been pretty, but to me – it was a delight to behold.

I sat on it’s wide, aged, wooden seat, (not like these newer plastic versions that you have to pry yourself out with a crowbar type of construction), it had long metal bars which attached the seat to the swingy bit at the top.

Such a simple construction and I remember them being quite common in early Aussie life…but I hadn’t seen one in decades.

I was going to swing my heart out on this thing, if it was the last thing I did.

I sat there, taking it all in, listening to Craig…I swung and I felt myself being transported back to my girlhood.

My Nanna and Pa had a plumbing pipe washing line, that Pa had made himself. It was a strong, humongous structure that we would swing on as kids. I would hold on the metal crossbars and my siblings would swing me round until I would almost fly off. Such fun!

This swing brought back that same kind of feeling.

I asked the owner what he wanted for it and he gave me his price, but I knew it was never going to happen on that day, or at that price.

So we headed off, time was calling us back into real life.

That night I had a dream about swinging on that swing. I was right back there, and I was again delighted.

I woke knowing – I must have that swing.

Now….I’m not proud of this next portion of the story, because I’m not normally materialistic, but I’m human and when we experience something really fun or good, we want more of it…don’t we?!? I say we…..lol. I really me I do.

Over the next couple of day I dropped subtle hints to my hubby.

“Wow…I can’t stop thinking about that swing.”

“Wasn’t that swing so beautiful!”

“That swing made me so happy.”

My precious hubby, God bless him, was not thinking about a swing, he was thinking about the job at hand..so he acknowledged what I said and moved on quickly. lol..

I went to bed after the second night and had an other dream about the swing. In the dream Craig was buying the swing and bringing it home as a surprise for me. In the dream I told him about buying the swing and what it would mean to me….

Wow!!!!!

Now I was beyond excited and raring to get another swing in….lol…but he didn’t exactly look like he was taking any notice of my not so subtle hints. Hmmmm…what to do…

I began trying to find a photo of the swing, preparing myself for being disappointed if someone else had already bought it. To my dismay, there was no photo, there was no thing that came remotely close to the look of this swing…..now I was a bit upset about it….I know ridiculous…but truthful…..I thought I should probably just tell him about my dream.

I thought being a fella, he might need a less subtle notion…..he wasn’t a mind reader, I should just share it with him.

As I stood there on the 3rd morning, morally torn – because this thing was important to me, but I knew I had to be willing to give it up. I released it to God…”Father, you are enough for me..I don’t need that swing………….so I release it all to you. amen.”

A day later, I felt so peaceful and then I got this prompting……share the dream with Craig. So I did…..my hubby, he grinned one of those cheeky grins…..and told me he had planned to pick it up on his way back from collecting the drop offs we had done the previous week.

Wow!!!!

My senses were buzzing…how crazy..about a swing…and now I had spoilt the surprise he had had….darn it!!!

There were still a number of days that passed before the pickup was being done….and I had to give up and prepare myself for the possibility it would not be there.

Craig wasn’t in a hurry to collect it.

Craig was cool, calm and collected about it…I didn’t want to miss out.

He went off a few days later and secretly collected the swing.

When he arrived at the antique place and purchased the swing, a couple began looking at it and seemed to be very interested, saying what a great swing it was etc.

This story is not something I share just for the story sake……but to show you what God was showing me about Himself along the way.

If Craig represents the Father in my life – then what is He showing me?

• He already has plans in place to bless me.
• He knows my heart, I don’t need to harp or drop hints.
• He is for me, not against me.
• His timing is PERFECT and no amount of human manipulation is going to change that fact.
• He has plenty of resource for heart things.
• The gifts He brings are priceless and give far more than monetary things can bring.
• He brings gifts of the heart.
• He loves our childlike heart and wants us to do these kinds of things with Him.
•  Others may come along and “steal” or “buy” things from underneath our noses, but God is the one who brings the best for His beloved kids…and that’s you and it’s me too….

When that swing arrived, we placed it in our future orchard garden space and knew it had come home.

As I sit in that place each day, I feel the wind on my face, the sun on my skin and I find myself so thankful for the simple pleasures in life.

I look out my kitchen window amidst the piles of dishes and things to organise and find myself doing them easily, because I have a place of fun and simple sweetness looking right at me.

Our youngest on the second day of the swings arrival asked whether he could do his homework out on the swing. I replied so happily “of course!!!”

He got that entire homework done in 10 minutes, when it would usually take about 40 minutes.

It has already brought so much joy to our home.

It’s not about the swing.

It’s not about the gift.

For me….it’s what it represents.

I sense that I was drawn to the swing because I know, He is restoring FUN to our family on a whole other level.

In this moment, I am thankful. Thankful for this gift which is beyond what I can see, but it goes deeper than I am able to share with you here and now.

Please know…that you have a God who see’s your heart, knows the desires of it, knows what you dreamt of as a child and longs to bring that same joy injection, laughter and wonder investment back to your life.

Stop for a moment and drink in the truth….that you have a Father who wants to spoil your socks off and restore to you all things that were stolen. He wants to release you to be free in the very thing you dream, and still dream of doing. Dare to dream with Him today and ask Him for what you need. He knows anyway, but it’s a fun conversation to have. xxxxx