God the every day miracle worker.

There are a couple of baby items I have started to keep an eye out for as I discretely prepare for having another baby in 2 months or 12. One of them is a very specific double stroller. The other is a baby swing. The baby swing we had with Josiah was a small travel one, and it only had one position. At the time we didn't have room for a full size swing, but with this baby I thought it would be especially nice to have a swing that I could reach without bending over so much and one that would accommodate older than just a newborn. I am by nature a deal seeker (the apple doesn't fall far from the tree), and I really don't want to spend more money than is necessary on baby items. There is an abundance of lightly used baby items out there, as most everyone else does want everything new the first time. That means I have newfound purpose in garage sales and Craigslist. After browsing my options, I decided that I wanted a fairly specific kind of baby swing. I've had a couple of deals pass me by, but most are selling at an average price of $75. Now, that is just too much for me. Needless to say, when we drove past a garage sale today and they had that swing out, I told Jonathan to turn around. He rolled his eyes but complied.

I asked the lady how much she wanted for the swing and if it was still working. She confirmed that it still worked, though it needed new batteries and she was asking $22. I didn't bother to try to talk her down. I knew it was already a good deal, so we gave her $22 and we were on our way. When we got home I opened up the battery case and found a surprise. There was a metal coil missing and the entire inside was orange with rust. How was this possible? The swing itself was in great condition! It definitely needed more than batteries, though.

I went to Lowe's while the boys napped and much to my dismay they didn't sell battery coils. What happened to do-it-yourself?! I was contemplating my options when I decided to purchase a 6 Volt battery and take the coil off the top of it. It was cheaper than any springs I could buy. I brought it home, took the coil off, and with much effort rigged it onto the swing. I popped my batteries in and flipped the switch...and nothing. (heart sinks). I pulled the batteries back out and made sure the coil was making a full connection. After tinkering for some time to no avail, I decided that maybe the problem was the rust preventing a good connection. I pilfered through my cleaning supplies and settled on Krud Kutter. I had nothing to lose at this point, so I put some Krud Kutter on an old toothbrush and scrubbed on the rust. I had it looking as good as it was going to get, and I had already tried the batteries a couple more times in the process. I popped them in for one last attempt...and nothing. I had that sickening feeling in my stomach that I had just wasted $22. I was also dreading owning up to my husband regarding my seemingly poor judgment. I decided to see if I could inspect the motor for rust damage, so I started to remove more screws. Half way through I realized the thing wasn't designed to come apart even with the screws out. I was sick. There was absolutely nothing I could do to fix the swing. At such a low, I finally just put my hand on the swing and desperately prayed, "Father, in the name of Jesus, please just fix the motor and make this swing work." At that exact moment I heard music, so I opened my eyes and the swing had instantaneously started to work! The swing was going, the mobile was spinning, and the music was playing! PRAISE GOD!!! I was BLOWN AWAY! Did the Lord just miraculously "heal" my baby swing?! YES, HE DID! There was no other explanation for it. It was truly a miracle. I mean, can anyone say rejoice?! I just saw a REAL LIFE miracle take place! I am so astounded that the Lord takes such pleasure in me as a daughter that He would look kindly on me and fix the baby swing! If He wants to fix a baby swing, He also wants to fix things of so much more significance for us. I put all the miscellaneous screws back into place, put the back on the battery pack, and watched my swing do a sing and dance with me unto the Lord. Jonathan and Josiah came upstairs and Josiah got really excited about the new baby's swinging, singing wonder. It alone made him really excited about the prospect of a new baby coming home. (You mean he could witness this toy in action every day!?)

I am so thankful to the Lord for a true miracle today. The Spirit of the Lord is alive and well and still in action today! Praise God!