Stream of Consciousness
March 14, 2015I had 
a moment of stream of consciousness thinking the other day. Do you know what I mean? It’s the kind of thinking where a multitude of thoughts and feelings pass through your mind in a matter of moments. William Faulkner and James Joyce were literary giants who were pros at using this type of “interior monologue” and while I’m not worthy to dip into their ink well, I did have a moment. While reading a book on prayer, the author suggested that we all have the handwriting of God- the words of God-at our disposal. And that’s where the stream began—“Hmmmm, interesting comparison of the words of God to handwriting. Handwriting isn’t taught in schools anymore. I wonder why. Is that a good idea? And the handwriting of God, meaning the words of God, aren’t taught in public schools anymore either. Can anything good come out of that?”
That stream led me to surfing the Internet to find out why cursive isn’t taught in schools anymore and that led to many more twists and turns in the river of my thinking:
cursive’s relevance is waning
46 states have dropped the handwriting requirement
computer and typing skills have usurped penmanship
cursive is increasingly becoming obsolete
cursive signatures are no longer more legally valid than non-cursive signatures
Clearly, the handwriting is on the wall! Technology has replaced the need for cursive writing, and cursive no longer has a legal leg to stand on! Can this be good? Not necessarily, according to proponents of teaching handwriting, because when cursive isn’t taught, students do not learn how to read cursive. What’s the big deal then? Well the inability to read cursive impacts the ability to read historical documents such as the U.S. Constitution and any manuscripts between the 17th and 20th century. It also impacts the ability to read grandmothers’ diaries and parents’ love letters. When the ability to read cursive disappears, our connection to history and even to our own past is lost!
Then my course of thinking made me wonder if Jan Olsen, the founder of “Handwriting without Tears”, is crying over this. More than that, I began to grieve that not reading God’s handwriting impacts our connection to HIS STORY and our past with the faith of men like Abraham, our spiritual forefather (Romans 4:1). God’s handwriting is at our constant disposal. His words will never become obsolete, irrelevant, or impersonal. I’m just saying….no, I’m just thinking…..
“The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.”
Isaiah 40:8