I love calligraphy style writing. The way the letters glide softly across the page with their fluid, motions.
It reminds me of simpler times; when someone’s character spoke louder than their words.
It also reminds me of the Constitution, starting with the preamble,
“We the people” with the stately stance of the letters. At other times, it’s as soft as a butterfly, like those love letters to an admirer of long ago.
Calligraphy causes me to reminisce of nostalgic days when women and men had a blush about them and they cherished and held true to the vows between them. Those vows were more than just a signed contract.
The letters flowing from the pen like a wedding gown onto the pages gracefully telling their tale sweeping down the sheet, like the train of the gown.
The bold black liquid ink, like revenced gentlemen, they stand out distinct and valiant, a treasure to all who behold.
Before modern day technology one of the earliest ways to communicate or record history was through writing.
The way we received God’s Word is through holy men that “spake” as God inspired them to do so and then wrote what was said.
In (1 Peter 1:21) the Bible says, “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
According to (Biblegateway.com) the word “write,” appears 109 times in the King James Bible.
The way history, “His-story,” was recorded is by what they called “scribes,” in those days.
A “scribes” definition is defined as someone who recorded what was said and wrote it down.
A “scribe” is also defined- In a general sense, a writer; hence, a notary or public writer, one who records transactions of an ecclesiastical church.
Ecclesiastical meaning, “the Lord’s house,” a called-out assembly or church” where those that are called assemble because of the same connection, and that connection being faith in the Gospel of Jesus, His death burial and resurrection, to all who believe.
Scribes were those that in Judges 5:14 says, “…they that handle the pen of the writer.”
Jeremiah 36:4 states, “…and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord, which he had spoken unto him, upon a roll of a book.”
And verse 32 says, “wrote therein…all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire: and there were added besides unto them many like words.”
A “scribe” was not only someone who wrote the law, recorded history, but was also one who continues to learn God’s word.
A “scribe” was a student/teacher.
Many times these scribes were apprentices under other men of God and they taught as they learned.
According to (Ezra 7:10-11) the Bible says, “For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.
Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest, the scribe, even a scribe of the words of the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes to Israel.”
(Nehemiah 8:8) says, “So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.”
These verses teach that God helps those that read to understand what is read.
It is very important to continue to be a student of His word, learning first for ourselves and then teaching others.
It is in our best interest not to play “hooky” from God’s Bible class.
You may wonder if I have ever skipped class?
Unfortunately, yes I have.
On the days I’m rushed to get to work, woke up late, or even the days when I just don’t feel good, I’ve skipped class.
Skipping class is like missing out on all the answers that will be on the test for that day. God gives us an open Book test.
We have a daily pop quiz in life and if we don’t have the Scripture answer hid in our heart, we’ll get a zero on the quiz for that day.
A wise man once showed me this verse about the “seed” of God’s word and how important it is not to miss reading it daily.
In (Matthew 13:12) the Bible says, ” For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.”
God is a great mathematician and always fair about His grading system. He also gives bonus points. How about that?
To be a “passing” student we must be diligent to read and study His word.
When the time comes that others ask or need counsel from God’s word we must know it and rightly divide so we don’t use Scripture out of context.
I’d prefer not to remain in kindergarten for the rest of my school term, wouldn’t you? Let’s not be a failure.
We all should want to be promoted before graduating to Heaven and receiving our diplomas from the Master, Jesus.
Being a good student takes time studying, reading and developing techniques so that we can memorize and apply His word to our lives.
One of the best teachers known to mankind was Jesus.
Jesus always taught by using parables to tell stories that illustrate a truth He wanted to teach others. There are many examples in the Bible of these parables and one of my favorite is the parable of the sower.
It tells the story of how Jesus and a great multitude was gathered by the seaside and that the multitude was so great that Jesus had to get in a boat just close enough to the shore to teach them because it was so crowded.
One thing that helps me in the classroom of reading God’s word is journaling.
I write the verses that speak to me.
I sketch drawings, use stickers, and highlight verses. Whatever it takes to help me stay focused and learn God’s word.
Another reason to journal is to leave a testimony behind to my children grandchildren and family. I want them to know that this student had a walk with God. Always learning, sometimes stumbling, yet never giving up.
I’d like to imagine that they would love to set down and read the thoughts I’ve recorded and how God spoke to me.
Writing is sort of like a time capsule, you see.
I pray whoever reads the conversations between God and myself will be blessed and possibly learn from my mistakes.
“Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others.” ~ Otto Von Bismark~
You see, these journals contain my complaints, love, prays, and my deepest heartaches.
I pray that one day these stories help someone, anyone, through their trials here in the school of life.
The point is that we, God and me, have a relationship and I’m thankful for that.
My children often make comments about my handwriting.
When I was learning in school we wrote cursive but my style of cursive is sort of like calligraphy but not as beautiful.
Calligraphy is a form of the art of beautiful writing, where cursive is a style of writing in which the letters are joined together and every word is written in one constant flow without taking the pen off the paper.
In a way, calligraphy reminds me of my relationship with God.
He’s still writing my story while I, on the other hand, scribble and mess things up.
That’s when I cry out to Him and ask if He’d dip the pen into the ink of His love and rewrite the “scribble” I’ve made and finish His-story through me.
(2 Corinthians 3:2) The Bible calls us written epistles,
“Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men.“
Who will be reading you? And, what is written on your heart?
Mrs. Jennifer Turner
A Sparrow's Whisper 