Unfolding Words ~ Valerie Ronald

 

                                                                               image credit Pixabay

 From the dark, stuffy confines of the linen closet I pull out a fresh set of neatly folded sheets, ready to go on the bed. First, I stretch the fitted sheet over the mattress, then with a flick of my wrists, I unfold the top sheet. It floats gently onto the bed, releasing its heady fragrance of sun-dried cotton and warm breezes. Because I dry sheets outside on the clothesline in summer, the evocative scent of the season comes to life again when I unfold them to make the bed.

This is the picture that comes to mind when I read the following verse.

“The unfolding of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” (Psalm 119:130 NIV) 

I imagine God shaking out a folded sheet full of His words, releasing light and knowledge like a clean, simple fragrance to people eager to understand His truths.

For over 20 years I have been folding words into neat packages that fit on the back page of our monthly church bulletin. Drawing from personal life lessons, nature and God’s rich scriptures, I write these devotionals to encourage those of our small congregation in their spiritual walk. This year I have been given an opportunity to compile some of these devotionals into a book. The first draft of the book is nearing completion, soon to be sent to the publisher. A life-long dream is finally within reach.

Unfolding these writings woven from the fabric of God’s words, is like shaking out a sun-dried bed sheet that has been stored on a shelf for some time. Words gathered for years will soon be released, directed by God purposes. I am excited to be in partnership with God on this project, as He is the one who is making it possible.

As well as working on the book manuscript, I continue to share a page on this blog once a month with my fellow InScribe writers. The blog moderator’s prompts produce many different perspectives and styles of writing that I find encouraging and inspirational. Some of the posts I have written for the blog are being adapted to include in my devotional book.

The realization that I am tackling an ambitious new project in my senior years is an affirmation that God can work through me even into old age. I like to think of this devotional book as my opus, the culmination of 23 years of work. As God’s Word unfolds through the vehicle of my own written words, I pray they will give spiritual light and understanding to those who read them.

“This is what we speak (write), not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.”  (1 Cor. 2:13)

Valerie Ronald writes from an old roll top desk in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, with her tortoiseshell cat for a muse. A graduate of Langara College School of Journalism, she writes devotionals, fiction and inspirational prose. Her purpose in writing is to encourage others to grow in their spiritual walk.