Sandra Heska King

daring to open doors

  • Home
  • About
  • DISCLOSURES
    • Amazon Affiliate
    • Book Reviews
  • Published
  • Contact
  • Blog
    • Commit Poetry
    • Dared

Scripture Sunday: The Scarlet Cord

August 4, 2012 By Sandra Heska King

She said, “According to your words, so be it.”

So she sent them away, and they departed;

and she tied the scarlet cord in the window. ~Joshua 2:21 (NASB)

(cord = tiqvah = hope)

 

Hope Rises

heavy under

a misty veil

i see dimly

until

startled by a

cardinal

on a naked branch

and hope rises

on scarlet wings.

~Sandra Heska King (2010)

Yes, the leaves of this tree are starting to change already.

Joining Deidra and friends

Share this:

  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest

Filed Under: stories and reflections

Comments

  1. S. Etole says

    August 4, 2012 at 11:41 pm

    Beautiful … just beautiful. And don’t we hear those words again in the NT?!

    • Sandra says

      August 5, 2012 at 10:39 am

      Hope. It’s a thread that runs from Genesis through Revelation.

  2. Diana Trautwein says

    August 5, 2012 at 1:03 am

    So lovely, Sandy – every image, every quote – and the poem. Sigh. So far, I am unable to post anything else other than the mixed up, unformatted post I did last night. Maybe there’s a message in this for me??

    • Sandra says

      August 5, 2012 at 10:38 am

      I loved that post! You, my friend, inspire and encourage me. Always.

  3. Martha Orlando says

    August 5, 2012 at 6:54 am

    Inspirational! A blessed Sunday to you, Sandy!

    • Sandra says

      August 5, 2012 at 10:36 am

      Love to you today, Martha.

  4. Maureen says

    August 5, 2012 at 8:20 am

    I had not heard the connection with the scarlet cord and hope – beautiful lesson. Makes me want to tie a scarlet ribbon somewhere, as a reminder to hope. As always, your photos and the poetry, you have a wonderful touch with the camera and words. Thank you.

    • Sandra says

      August 5, 2012 at 10:36 am

      Thanks so much, Maureen. This is why I’ve learned to love the color red. I keep a length of red cord in my Bible as a bookmark (I passed them out in Bible study after I taught on the book of Ruth. Naomi used this same word.) I’ve blogged about it before, and you could search for tiqvah or towla worm if you wanted. 🙂

  5. Dea Moore says

    August 5, 2012 at 10:16 am

    So glad I opened this today…I knew you associated red with hope but wasn’t sure of why. Now I know. Lovely Sandy. Be blessed and know you are a blessing.

    • Sandra says

      August 5, 2012 at 10:32 am

      Yep. This is why. You bless me big time, Dea.

  6. KATHY says

    August 5, 2012 at 12:23 pm

    Your photos and the ending poem tied up the subject matter nicely. The scarlet cardinal will surely remind me of hope whenever I glimpse it’s flight.

  7. Joanne Norton says

    August 5, 2012 at 12:30 pm

    Oh, as usual, the photos, words and the heart revelation…so YOU!

    Love it.

  8. Lynn Mosher says

    August 5, 2012 at 12:57 pm

    Awe-some! So wonderful, Sandra! I’ve always loved those two words…scarlet cord. Beautifully done!

  9. Megan Willome says

    August 5, 2012 at 4:03 pm

    Good heavens! Three of my favorite women in one place: you, Emily Dickinson, and Rahab! I’ll take some of that scarlet hope.

    P.S. There is always one each week in Deidra’s gathering. Today that one was you.

  10. Elizabeth, wynnegraceappears says

    August 5, 2012 at 4:05 pm

    Oh my how this takes my breathe away with the beautiful. Your words, your photography, and oh God’s words of wisdom and truth too. Just amazing. Just so so amazing. Thank you for sharing your gifts. You are a great steward of the gifts God has given you. And I am blessed because of that.

  11. Jody Lee Collins says

    August 6, 2012 at 4:07 pm

    Sandy–interesting to me how you posted this scripture. There was a red thread running many blogposts this week.
    your photos and accompanying words are always so stunning!

  12. Sharon O says

    August 7, 2012 at 12:11 am

    so wonderful. thank you.

  13. Ellen Grace Olinger says

    August 7, 2012 at 10:04 am

    Dear Sandra, What a beautiful and deeply meaningful post. I too was surprised by a red cardinal on a branch this weekend, and have been reading Emily again … Thank you, Ellen

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Meet Sandra

I’m Sandra, a camera-toting, recovering doer who’s learning to be. still. Read more…

Get updates from the stillness by email

Your personal information is safe and will never be shared.

Archives

Categories

Instagram Inspiration

sandraheskaking

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final t “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” ~ Philippians 4:8 

#fall #southflorida #hope #thoughts #philippians4 #dayafterelection
“My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in th “My heart leaps up when I behold
A rainbow in the sky:
So was it when my life began;
So is it now I am a man;
So be it when I shall grow old,
Or let me die!
The Child is father of the Man;
And I could wish my days to be
Bound each to each by natural piety.” ~ William Wordsworth in “My Heart Leaps Up”

🌈🌈🌈

From my back door and then from the patio. A phone can never capture the true glory of a rainbow. I hope my heart never fails to leap at the wonder of one.
We were monarch parents a couple years back, but o We were monarch parents a couple years back, but our food was not enough to support all our “children.”
🌱
But some were better parents. And next month @tspoetry is celebrating with a garden party. And you are invited. 
🌱

✨ An evening poetry celebration with Dheepa Maturi, Laura Boggess, Jules Jacob, and Sonja Johanson
✨ sign up today: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/year-of-the-monarch-garden-party-tickets-1005650847757
✨
This is called a sweetheart plant. I bought it at This is called a sweetheart plant. I bought it at a farmers market in Ponte Vedra in Feb 2023. And it hasn’t done a thing except not die. I did repot it a few months back just cuz I thought it might need it. A few days ago I noticed it was sprouting a sprout. And today—10 days after having my aortic valve replaced and the day after having a loop recorder inserted—it has UNFURLED!!! A new heart. 🩷
Looking west this morning. “Sometime, enough o Looking west this morning. 

“Sometime, enough of us should plan
to gather and form our own
luminous cloud.” ~ Luci Shaw in “The Weight of Air” (from The Generosity)
Security is on the job. Security is on the job.
So after 13 years of checkups and annual echos, it So after 13 years of checkups and annual echos, it's finally come to this. One week from today I will have my aortic valve replaced. Eeeek! I know it's done all the time--piece of cake. But that's to other people. 😂 Speaking of cake, I've always hoped to blow out 100 candles (at least), and I keep singing this line in my head...

"And my heart will go on and on." Thanks to @celinedion. 💕
Hi! Long time, no post. So… I grew this from a Hi! Long time, no post. So…

I grew this from a pineapple top. We repotted it again over the weekend. Still no fruit, though. Our neighbor has a baby growing on a small plant, though. What’s up with that?

(Also, I do not have a green thumb. Currently the only things still living are this, an avocado, and a little Boston fern.)
We got out here early today, but it was already so We got out here early today, but it was already soooooo hot (later on the"feels like" was 110), and I was just plodding one foot in front of the other wishing I was still in bed. There was not much to see--except the crane family, some blackbirds, a dove. And it was buggy. And a deer fly bit me on the forearm, and it swelled up, and I still have a 1- x 3-inch reddened area. But then... a pink parade.
Just snapped a couple photos of a normal looking s Just snapped a couple photos of a normal looking sky from my back patio with my iPhone! I grew up in Michigan and never saw them before! #northernlights #westboca #southflorida
“So they took branches of palm trees and went ou “So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” ~ John 12:13
🌴
🌴
PALMS

He had a date with them. ~SHK
🌴
🌴
~ Six words I wrote on my blog in 2015 as part of a daily “One Word Less for Lent” series.
🌴
Photo taken in Israel, 2022.
Dressed for success... Dressed for success...
“Sing, hope, to me” ~favorite line from “The “Sing, hope, to me” ~favorite line from “The First Spring Day” by Christina Rossetti via Every Day Poems and @tspoetry in my email this morning. 
❣️
Whole poem (with lots of favorite lines) here:
❣️
https://open.substack.com/pub/everydaypoems/p/the-first-spring-day?r=3acod&utm_medium=ios
❣️
Wild red poppy anemones from our spring trip to Israel in 2022. And, of course, red is the color of hope. 
❣️
#dipintopoetry #poetry #poetrycommunity #poetsofinstagram #tweetspeakpoetry #everydaypoems
Sweet baby colts. Just one parent. Apparently the Sweet baby colts. Just one parent. Apparently the other was hit by a car. 😭💔
Bufo serenade AKA the Ballad of the Bufo Bufo serenade AKA the Ballad of the Bufo
South Florida is confused. South Florida is confused.
“Somehow she learns to breathe.” ~ @gyoung9751 “Somehow she learns to breathe.” ~ @gyoung9751 in “The mermaid breathes,” a woven poem from tweets. In my email today from Every Day Poems via @tspoetry.
🌱 
#dipintopoetry #everydaypoems #poetry #poetrycommunity #poetsofinstagram #poetsofig #tweetspeakpoetry
"You have what you need / is what the birds sing a "You have what you need / is what the birds sing all morning" ~ Annie Lighthart in "Conditions of Happiness."
🌱
In my email this morning from 
Every Day Poems via @tspoetry.
🌱
#dipintopoetry #poetry #poetrycommunity #everydaypoems #poem #poetsofinstagram #tweetspeakpoetry
If you’ve made it this far, the rest of the week If you’ve made it this far, the rest of the week should be a snap. #wednesday
Stay behind me. I’ll protect you. No worries. So Stay behind me. I’ll protect you. No worries. So will all those shots. Mostly.
🦝
D still has PTSD from the Great Possibly Rabid Raccoon Brouhaha of 2021.
Follow on Instagram

Get the Mug

Embrace the life you have t s poetry mug

Privacy Policy

Full privacy policy is available HERE.

I Read Light

TSP-Red button

bibledude-net



Sponsor a Child

Join the Compassion Blogger Network

[footer_backtotop]

Copyright © 2025 Sandra Heska King · Site by The Willingham Enterprise, LLC on the Genesis Framework by StudioPress · Log in