“Because He’s sovereign, Alex. I guess I just didn’t understand what it meant. I’ve been turning things over and around and inside out, trying to decide how to fix things, how to make them right, how to make sure everything would work the way it’s supposed to work. And then tonight, as I was looking at the quilt, I realized I’m not in control at all. God is. He always has been. He is almighty God.”
She looked up at Mary Kathryn’s quilt. “She knew, Alex. It took heartache and tragedy for her eyes to be finally opened, but in the end, she knew. And she put it there in her quilt for all to see who had the eyes to do so.”
I am so much like her, Lord. Stubborn, stiff-necked, and You have loved me through everything. Thank You for Your patience with me.
Alex looked at the quilt, frowning. When he looked back at her again, Sierra could see he wondered if she’d taken leave of her senses. She got up and went to the quilt.
“I noticed the scarlet thread the first time Mom and I took the quilt out of the old trunk in the attic. I just didn’t understand until this evening why Mary Kathryn picked that color. Do you see how it stands out? Do you see how it holds all the pieces together, Alex? Mary Kathryn made each square separately over a period of years. Each shows something significant that happened to her: tragedies, births, changes in her life, upheavals. And here at the end, the stone wall with that red cord hanging from the window opening. I never understood that.” She stood before the quilt, tracing a portion of embroidered grape leaves and grapes. Shaking her head, she turned and looked at him, her heart full of love.
“I read her journal, the whole thing, several times, and I never understood why she made that wall as her last square. There was never a mention of a wall in her journal. Tonight, I understood. It’s Rahab’s wall.”
“Rahab?”
“Rahab, the prostitute who hid the Israelite spies who came to Jericho. Moses had died, and the Israelites entered Canaan to take possession of the Promised Land. Joshua sent spies to Jericho, and Rahab took them in. She was a prostitute who had lived a life of sin and disobedience, and yet, in that moment, she risked her life to protect those men and hide them from the ones looking for them because she believed in their God. She had faith, and she acted upon it. The spies told her to hang a scarlet cord in her window, and though everyone else in Jericho would be put to the sword, no one in her house would perish. And they kept their word. She married Salmon and is named in the lineage of Jesus Christ.”
She looked up at the quilt again. “But it’s more than that, too. Scarlet is for Jesus and His death on the cross. Scarlet is for the blood He shed for us so that we could be redeemed. He was there in the beginning of it all. Faith is the key.”
“Scarlet for her faith, you mean?”
“No, not her faith. Mary Kathryn contended with God. Early in her journal, she was angry and rejected Him. After that, she scarcely mentioned Him in a good light—not until much later. She wasn’t faithful at all. In a sense, she was like Rahab, prostituting herself to other gods in a foreign land. Her home and land mattered more than anything. Then it was her husband and her children. And with each loss she suffered, God was there with her. She didn’t understand that until the end. That’s what the scarlet thread signifies. That’s why the wall is her last block. The window is open, and the scarlet cord flowing out and upward, tying it all together. God was there with her throughout her life. He brought her through.”
She laughed softly, filled with relief and joy. “Look at the stitches, Alex. Grape leaves and grapes, chains, doves, crosses, olive branches—so much skill and beauty. When she quilted this wall, she did it with a passionate love for her Savior. She realized everything that had happened to her was through God’s will. She finally surrendered. She believed. And because she did, God opened her eyes so that she could look back and see how He had been intimately involved through everything. Death. Birth. Fire. Disinheritance. Love. Betrayal. Loss. God allowed her to go through all those things so that she would come to Him. Once she did, she saw the wonder of all of it.”
She came back and sat down with Alex again. “The things that happen in our lives are allowed to happen because the Lord wants to draw us to Him. We make decisions and do things, thinking we’re in control, but we never really are. God is. It’s arrogance and pride to think we rule our lives. It’s an illusion. We’re never able to orchestrate a thing. God is in control.”
She put her hand on his knee. “I thought you were in control of my life, Alex. When you moved me to Southern California, I felt powerless. I was angry and frightened. I rebelled. I didn’t even think about turning to the Lord. I turned to friends, and their lives were in shambles. I turned to my mother, and then she was taken away from me. I wanted to turn back to you, but then you were gone, too. God finally got through to me on the Hollywood freeway.” She laughed through her tears. “Sacred ground for me was a strip of macadam in Los Angeles County.”
He brushed the tears lightly from her cheek, his eyes tender. She wanted more than anything for him to understand. “Oh, Alex, don’t you see? I never would’ve needed Jesus if I’d had any control at all. Everything that’s happened—all the pain—He’s turned to good. It’s served His purpose. It brought me to Him.”
His dark eyes softened. “I saw the change in you.” He cupped her cheek tenderly. “I was a fool to leave you.”
She covered his hand with her own. “Had you not left me, Alex, the change would never have come. I thank God for all of it. I thank Him with every ounce of my being, Alex. All the pain was blessing. I didn’t fall in love with you by chance. It was God’s design. I know now He draws us to Him, all through our lives. If we let Him. Some of us are just so stubborn it takes a long time to see His will at work.” Some never do, do they, Lord?
She held his hand between hers and searched his eyes. “Jesus is at the very heart of who I am now, Alex. I can’t go back.”
“I wouldn’t ask you to give Him up, querida. I only ask you to allow me in.”
Sierra’s heart melted. God had given her this man for a purpose. She had married Alex as an untried girl, head over heels in love. She was still married to him, still in love with him. The difference now was that she was one with Christ, wed to almighty God. And with God all things were possible.
“We haven’t anything in common really, have we?” she said softly. “Except Jesus. He’s our common ground, Alex. He brought us together, and He’ll hold us together if we make Him our foundation. I don’t need to worry about the what-ifs anymore. I don’t need to have an answer to everything. I don’t have to have everything worked out perfectly in my mind before I can start over. Neither do you, beloved. We just need to draw closer to Jesus. We need to trust in His plan for us. We need to learn from Him. And we need to step out in faith and begin.”
She touched his cheek tenderly, feeling the firm line of his jaw. “Oh, my love, if we make drawing closer to Jesus our goal in life, how can we not draw closer to one another at the same time?”
Covering her hand, Alex turned his head and kissed her palm. “Mi querida, te amo muchísimo. You are so beautiful to me, mi amor.” His dark eyes were flooded with tears. “I am sorry for the pain I caused you.”
“And I you, Alejandro.”
Oh, God, forgive me for the pain I caused You with my stubbornness. I love You, Jesus.
She went into Alex’s arms naturally, leaning her head against his chest. She could hear the steady, rapid beat of his heart. “We still have a lot to work out.”
“I’ll get rid of the black couch.”
She laughed and breathed in the beloved scent of his body, familiar and heady.
Oh, my love. Be like a gazelle on the mountains of spices. I have awakened. Be with us, Lord. Make this a love triangle, a sacred one to last a lifetime and beyond.
Alex drew back slightly. “First things first.” Releasing her, he pulled the gold chain with the crucifix his mother had given him and her wedding ring from beneath his sweatshirt. Openin
g the clasp, he let the two slide into the palm of his hand. He looked at her then, the question clear in his eyes. He was taking nothing for granted this time.
Smiling, Sierra held out her left hand.
“Dios, te doy mi gracias y mi vida,” he whispered in relief and thanksgiving. The tension fell away, and joy leaped into his dark eyes as he slipped the gold wedding band back on her finger. Taking her hand, he stood.
Fourteen years ago, they had faced one another as they did now, the future before them. Cupping her face, Alejandro Luís Madrid kissed Sierra Clanton Madrid reverently, before the Lord.
“May no man or woman put asunder what God has joined together,” he murmured.
Sliding her arms around his neck, she kissed him back.
Oh, Father, we rejoice in You. We praise Your name!
Mold us and make us one with You.
Discussion Questions
Dear Reader,
We hope you have enjoyed this timeless story of family relationships and God’s faithfulness. His faithfulness in our failures, His healing in our brokenness, and His timing in restoration.
Tattered and torn scraps of cloth may seem worthless to the onlooker, yet when sewn together by loving hands and embellished with shiny thread they become a treasured heirloom. So it is with our families and our lives. What we see as brokenness, failures, and hopelessness, God uses to refine us. He weaves the shiny scarlet thread of His love to develop our faith in Him. “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10).
May the following discussion guide help you see the scarlet thread God is weaving into your life to make you fit for eternity.
Sincerely,
Peggy Lynch
1. In your opinion, what was the cause/causes for the family problems Sierra and Alex were having? How did Sierra and Alex contribute to their own problems? What efforts were made to resolve their differences?
2. Compare Sierra and Mary Kathryn. How are they similar? Different? How did their communication skills affect their relationships?
3. How do you rate your own communication skills? Read Proverbs 12:18 and 15:23. What do those verses say about communication? How can you apply them to your own life?
4. Contrast Alex with James. What self-perceived inadequacies did they operate under? How did this thinking affect their decisions and choices?
5. What perceived inadequacies motivate your decisions? How can you overcome those inadequacies? What solution does Proverbs 29:25 provide?
6. Proverbs 17:3 says, “Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but the Lord tests the heart.” What trials did Sierra and Mary Kathryn face? How well did they face those difficulties? What trials are you facing in your life?
7. In what ways are Ron Peirozo and Kavanaugh alike? How are they different from Alex and James? Why are they appealing? Read Proverbs 16:32 and Proverbs 29:23; how do those verses apply to the men in this story?
8. Who did God use to get Sierra’s attention? How did she respond? Who did God use with Mary Kathryn and what was her response?
9. How has God used people in your life to draw you to Himself? What actions did you take in response? How can you be a loyal friend like the one mentioned in Proverbs 17:17?
10. Did Sierra do the right thing at the end of the story? If you were in her shoes, would you have made the same choice? Is there a time and a place where divorce is the right course of action? What does the Bible say?
11. Discuss God’s faithfulness to Alex and Sierra. In what ways did God demonstrate His faithfulness to Mary Kathryn and Kavanaugh?
12. As you look back over your life, how has God been drawing you to Himself? In the midst of failures or brokenness, how has He been faithful to you? Can you see His scarlet thread of love making you fit for eternity? Read Psalm 25:6 and Romans 8:28-30.
About the Author
New York Times bestselling author Francine Rivers began her literary career at the University of Nevada, Reno, where she graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in English and journalism. From 1976 to 1985, she had a successful writing career in the general market, and her books were highly acclaimed by readers and reviewers. Although raised in a religious home, Francine did not truly encounter Christ until later in life, when she was already a wife, a mother of three, and an established romance novelist.
Shortly after becoming a born-again Christian in 1986, Francine wrote Redeeming Love as her statement of faith. First published by Bantam Books, and then rereleased by Multnomah Publishers in the mid-1990s, this retelling of the biblical story of Gomer and Hosea, set during the time of the California Gold Rush, is now considered by many to be a classic work of Christian fiction. Redeeming Love continues to be one of CBA’s top-selling titles, and it has held a spot on the Christian bestseller list for nearly a decade.
Since Redeeming Love, Francine has published numerous novels with Christian themes—all bestsellers—and she has continued to win both industry acclaim and reader loyalty around the globe. Her Christian novels have been awarded or nominated for numerous honors, including the RITA Award, the Christy Award, the ECPA Gold Medallion, and the Holt Medallion in Honor of Outstanding Literary Talent. In 1997, after winning her third RITA Award for inspirational fiction, Francine was inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. Francine’s novels have been translated into more than twenty different languages, and she enjoys bestseller status in many foreign countries, including Germany, the Netherlands, and South Africa.
Francine and her husband, Rick, live in northern California and enjoy time spent with their three grown children and taking every opportunity to spoil their grandchildren. Francine uses her writing to draw closer to the Lord, and she desires that through her work she might worship and praise Jesus for all He has done and is doing in her life.
Visit her website at www.francinerivers.com.
Francine Rivers, The Scarlet Thread
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