One Space or Two? Ripped from the Headlines...
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The Wall Street Journal is one of my ‘must-reads’ every day. I’ve been a subscriber for over 20 years, and appreciate how it helps me stay in touch with the world through the midst of the business community. Many times, stories they publish and features they highlight give me a little more knowledge and different perspectives on things.
This morning’s edition, though, has as it’s a-hed an article that is near and dear to my heart. One that I have feel strongly about since I first learned to type well over thirty years ago. I did not realize the subject had risen to the level of being a front-page Wall Street Journal article. Evidently, though, there is a conflict that has been brewing that can divide people.
The subject at hand? One space or two after a sentence.
I’m old-school. It’s muscle memory for me to type two spaces after a sentence. Been that way for a long time. Just makes sense. Of course, I got busted in my high-school typing class because I used my almost-photographic memory to look at a paragraph then look down at my keys to reproduce said paragraph. My words-per-minute scores were fantastic, but I got a B because the teacher told me part of the drill was typing without looking. (Which I can do pretty well these days after decades of practice.)
The one-or-two-space controversy brought me back to the scriptures for today’s Let’s Do Lunch - words from Acts that report on a conversation Jesus had with his followers just before his ascension.
From Acts One, verses six through eight:
So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
What in the world does THAT have to do with a one-space-or-two controversy that is featured in one of the world’s leading newspapers? They have nothing to do with one another.
Or do they?
Those with Jesus are trying to get the inside school on when Jesus will fulfill his calling and restore the kingdom of God to Israel (a people, not today’s political entity.) They want assurances that they know exactly when and how things are going to go down with his return.
Jesus, of course, doesn’t give them the satisfaction of an answer. No, indeed. Jesus basically tells them to relax - while they won’t know the time when he will come again, they will be equipped by the Holy Spirit with the power needed to witness about Christ throughout the world.
In other words, quit worrying about stuff which you need not be concerned - and instead lean on the power I have given you to carry on the ministry I started with you in our time together. Not only this, but Christ ALSO gives them a scope of their ministry - to everyone, everywhere. He’s genius in this because it further illustrates Christ’s understanding that, more than likely, they would have (because it is human nature) indeed to figure out the minimum required and stick to that.
What does this have to do with the one-space-or-two controversy?
Simple. In the long run, it really doesn’t matter, and we know it. When we allow ourselves to get distracted by the non-essential stuff, we know that our faith and our witness suffers.
While I have my strong prejudice about using two spaces at the end of a sentence, in the long run it really does not matter one bit.
While Jesus’ followers wanted to focus on when he was going to deliver on his promises, Jesus re-directed them to what was truly important - being his witnesses to all the world.
Friends, it can be very easy to get distracted by the things of this world. Don’t fall for it. Let’s keep going on what is our calling in life - to love the Lord our God with everything we have and our neighbors as ourselves. Everything else is simply a distraction.