Sarah Dixon Young's Blog: Love Much, page 8

Beautiful Little Fingers

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Summer is the season of sidewalk chalk.

Both at home and at church, I have crates of sidewalk chalk to keep little fingers busy and to share the Good News through color.

Yellow. God is holy, and He made everything. 

Black. We sinned and disobeyed God, separating ourselves from him forever. 

Red. He loved us so much, He sent His only Son to shed His blood and die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin. 

White. His sacrifice brought light to our darkness. He did...

Unable

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Last year, when my family and church traveled to camp in Medora, ND, I was too afraid to climb to the top of the butte nearby.

I made it halfway up, and then my youngest son’s exuberance and aversion to caution met my fear of heights. I sat down right where I was and waited for help.

It felt a little silly as I watched young children and elderly people hike their way to the top, but my fear made me unable to continue on.

This year, my husband made it his project to help ...

Spiritual Sacrifices

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The little boy motioned to me to bend down closer so that he could speak into my ear.

Before then, the only whole sentences I’d heard him utter were, “Have to go bathroom,” and “Is it time to eat yet?”

He had a long tale to tell that brought waves of grief as I listened. He didn’t use the words alcoholic, abuse, terror, or nightmare, but his story held all of them.

As I listened, I prayed, “The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the flo...

What’s a Buckler?

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“And under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and buckler.”

I’ve read it many times. I’ve quoted it many times. However, this week, I read it, looked up, and wondered, “What is a buckler?”

Do you know?

After googling it, I went around asking my kids. My teenage son was the only one who knew more than his mom: “It’s a small shield you hold in your hand for hand-to-hand combat situations.”

Now I know.

But, when I came back to Psalm 91, I sti...

10 Golden Rules: Personal Finance with Purpose

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‘Tis the season of graduations.

My husband and I moved to our home in North Dakota eighteen years ago, so the babies of yesterday are the graduates of today.

It is fun to watch them walk that stage and be honored by their families. 

At the parties afterward, I asked several what they want to do. Maybe be an electrician. Maybe be a nurse. Maybe go for a doctorate. The possibilities are endless. 

One thing is universal though: they will need good personal finance skills...

Ruts

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The weather is just right for evening walks, and we’ve been making the most of it.

My youngest son recently learned how to ride a bike, so he pedals alongside me as I pull the toddler in the wagon.

We live on a dirt road, and the spring rain has left quite a few ruts. The first few times we walked, my son became frustrated at how the ruts pulled his tires or even made him crash.

I dusted him off, pick up the bike, and explain again about how the ruts will pull the tires....

Elect Exiles

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Fireworks exploding in an over-stuffed garage caused a housefire one summer.

Soon after the fire, I saw a sad procession as I was driving: a boy pushing a lawnmower, his younger brother wearing a garden hose wrapped around his shoulders, little sister with a black garbage bag slung over her back, and baby sister carrying a 2 liter of pop and a doll.

They walked slowly in single file, and I wondered where they would go. Their home had burned, and the parents had burned a lot...

Some Like it Hot

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There’s a little one staying with us now who describes everything unpleasant as “hot!”

Prickly pine needles, cold ice cubes, cat scratches, and the oven are all “hot.” 

At least when I say, “Hot!” about the electric fence, she gets the picture and stays away. 

I was thinking of her description of danger this weekend as I taught the book of Jonah at our children’s worship time. There’s a lot of danger in the book of Jonah: tempests at sea, looming shipwrecks, drowning, be...

Filled with Glory

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Have you ever had a keylime bismarck at Devils Lake Doughnuts?

If you thought perfectly puffed pastry rolled in powdered sugar couldn’t be improved on, then you haven’t gotten to the keylime pudding in the middle. 

When the Apostle Peter wrote to the believers in exile, he reminded them that they should “rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory.”

Maybe I was hungry when I read Peter’s letter this week, but it made me think of keylime bismarcks. Joy is...

Lord of the Little While

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When a child has been removed from her parents’ custody, a little while takes a long time.

In a little while, you can have a visit with your mom.

In a little while, you’ll be able to see your dad.

In a little while, you’ll be restored to them and able to go home. 

She has no concept of weeks, months, or years. She knows only that each minute isn’t spent in the right place or in her preferred company. Hurt compounds with every foreign sunrise and settles into grief wit...