meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
The Unfolding

Sarah Philpott: "My little boy was in our goldfish pond" | Unfolding Short Stories

The Unfolding

Northwestern Media

Christianity, Religion & Spirituality

4.9867 Ratings

🗓️ 14 October 2025

⏱️ 11 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

"My little boy, who was one, was in our goldfish pond." 

A fall afternoon on the farm turned from laughter to panic. 
When Sarah Philpott's one-year-old slipped toward danger, her four-year-old daughter heard a whisper from God that changed everything. 
This short story is about paying attention, seeing God's mercy, and staying present in the life He has given. 

Sarah's latest children's book: Wake Up, Little Seed  

Faith Podcasts are made possible by your support. You can click here to give. 

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

And I got up and I ran.

0:02.0

I ran as fast as I could because I saw before my eyes one of the most traumatic things that I've seen in my life.

0:09.2

God's story?

0:11.0

Your life.

0:14.0

Unfolding short stories.

0:18.6

On Friday's episode, we heard Amber Smith tell a story about water and deep sorrow.

0:25.2

If you haven't heard it yet, it's an amazing account of learning to trust God after the unthinkable.

0:31.1

Today, we return to the water, but this time it's a different story.

0:36.2

On a Tennessee farm with pumpkins, apples, and more, Sarah Philpott's children laughed

0:42.5

among the harvest until in the blink of an eye that joy turned to panic, a one-year-old

0:50.3

boy in a goldfish pond, and a mysterious whisper to his four-year-old sister.

0:57.2

So when I was in high school, which was wow, probably almost 25 years ago, I had a boyfriend

1:04.5

and we did the usual dates, we'd go to football games, we'd go out to the movies, we'd go out to

1:09.6

dinner, but I remember one day where I went to his house and in the front lawn of his house, just kind of in a pasture, he and his family had started planting fruit trees. They planted apple trees and they were planting pear trees and they were planting peach trees. And he asked me to help.

1:28.4

So on that day, and probably a couple of days later as well, I got to help him take those little

1:34.3

safflings, put him in the earth, cover him up with the earth, keep them safe, and plant them.

1:40.4

And for me at the time, it was just a fun day. I was just enjoying spending time with my boyfriend.

1:46.3

Fast forward, almost 25 years later, I am now married to that boyfriend. And at the time, I had no idea that I was going to marry him.

1:57.1

But what absolutely just brings me to tears sometimes is when I look out the front window of our farmhouse,

2:07.0

we live on the same farm where he grew up.

2:09.5

We actually live in the exact same house where he grew up.

2:14.1

And when I look out our window, I see that orchard right out our front window. And there's

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Northwestern Media, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Northwestern Media and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.