Saving Awesome

Harry may be my favorite Scotsman. [There are many reasons, but I’m going to focus on two.]

Not only is he totally Scottish, he is also a history buff. And Scotland is full of history. And Harry knows it all. He and his wife Anne are like family. My very smart Scottish family.

So when I go to Scotland, I always visit them. Harry shows me places rich in history and I think the facts are easier for me to learn when retold in a Scottish accent.

Harry took me to tour around Pollok House. I read every piece of signage [I’m a museum dork like that] and I asked questions to the volunteer staff. I also asked questions to Harry, all of which he was able to answer in full.

As the day finished and we headed to the car, I texted another friend proclaiming, “THIS. PLACE. IS. AWESOME.”

I read it out loud as I typed and Harry replied, “No it’s not.”

I looked over at him, a little stunned.

“Yes it is! I mean, the history! The paintings! The house! The family! The cafe! It is all awesome!!” I got rather expressive about the whole thing. [In typical Annie fashion, I was extremely animated.]

Harry said, “God is awesome. Nothing else is. You say awesome too much.”

“If you use awesome all the time,” he continued, “what word will you have left to say when you see God?”

There are lots of words in the English language, but I do wonder if there is one that is more expressive than AWESOME.

I think not.

So I’ve started saving awesome. I catch myself saying it on accident, and then quickly replace it with words like “great” or “amazing.” I am stretching my vocabulary and putting experiences and moments in their rightful spot. Reading the definition of awesome made me realize how rarely I should use it.

Awesome: to be full of awe, an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear, produced by that which is grand, sublime, extremely powerful.

Harry is right [per usual]– nothing else overwhelms me with feelings of admiration the way that God does.

He is worth saving awesome for.

What other words would you use to describe God?

By Annie Downs // AnnieBlogs