Typebars in a 1920s typewriter (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I don’t know when it happened, but somewhere along the way we lost one of the spaces after a sentence. Back in high-school typing class (yes, it was many years ago), the teacher drilled into our heads that there should be two spaces after a typed sentence. “…type, type, type, type, type, period, space, space!”

However, now I have learned that only one space is needed. As I understand, it comes with the difference between using computers/printers and typewriters. The modern combination can separate the letters depending on their width, while the outdated typewriter takes up the same width with each letter. Thus, with the typewriter, to ensure a readable width at the ends and beginnings of sentences, two spaces were necessary.

Since a space is actually nothing, we can say that now we only need half as much nothing as we did before. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad.

We often hear, and say, there’s nothing to watch on TV. Having half as much nothing to watch doesn’t solve any problems. “Nothing” is the common answer to the question “Whatcha doing?” Doing half as much nothing doesn’t seem to matter one way or the other.

Perhaps Shakespeare’s play will need to be renamed “Much Ado About Half of Nothing”. And, if we’re able to do a task quickly, it may be done in “half of nothing flat”.

You get the idea – losing a space doesn’t have much serious effect. It just requires some practice to get in the habit.

But, when considering “nothing” we are given some principles to follow:

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV

Nothing should interrupt the peace of God within us. In everything that happens in life, which will include trials and tribulations, Christ Jesus is with us, and we should be ever thankful for His presence and power.

 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 1 Timothy 6:7 NKJV

We are not here to gather things for the sake of gathering things. (This is part of the passage including “the love of money is the root of all evil”.) Our pursuits should not be for things but, as verse 8 tells us, if we have food and clothing we should be content. Then, verse 11 spells out that our pursuits should be righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.

We can pursue no thing, and we can be anxious about nothing (or half of nothing), and find the peace of God – but it’s only through His presence and power that we ever find that contentment that the human mind can’t understand.