Words hold immense power. The Oxford Dictionary defines a word as “a single distinct meaningful element.” I think that we often forget that words are, in fact, incredibly meaningful and that using the wrong one at the wrong time can devalue the true worth of the word itself. Words alter the way we perceive events, objects, and situations and strongly influence our interpretation of the things around us.

'Awesome' is one of those words that has lost its meaning. 'Awesome' is a God word to me, and it always will be. I have stopped using this word in my day-to-day life, and I am slowly starting to see the true power of the word itself.

Awe. When you hear the word 'awe' what pops into your head? A snow-capped mountain, waves softly rolling onto a sandy beach with a gorgeous sunset in the background, a song so beautiful you are brought to tears every time you hear it? If none of those things give you any sense of awe, then let's try this: some synonyms of the word ‘awe’ include wonder, wonderment, amazement, astonishment, admiration, reverence, veneration, and respect. By now you surely have some sort of image in your head.

Now let's take this a step further and think about the word 'awesome.' I would be willing to bet we hear this word at least seven times a day, on average. But think about what that word actually means. Oxford Dictionary defines awesome as “inspiring awe.” Let that sink in for a minute. This implies that anything that is 'awesome' inspires the sense of awe we previously defined.

If you agree with me on that, then we need to recognize that as a society we are entirely numb to the true power and meaning of the word 'awesome.'

The word that has become a part of our everyday vocabulary is the same word that is used to describe the Creator of the Universe in Psalm 47:2.

Raising someone from the dead is 'awesome;' that breakfast was not.

The fact that you were knitted together in your mother’s womb is 'awesome;' that buzzer beater shot was not.

The fact that the same God who formed Mount Everest with his own two hands also created you is 'awesome;' that new gadget you bought is not.

The fact that the Lord of everything said that all of his creation was good but that you were very good is 'awesome;' that A+ you got on your test is not.

Now, none of this is to say that those things are not GREAT things. There is nothing quite like a buzzer beater, an A+ you studied incredibly hard for, and getting excited about the newest gadget in technology you just bought, but these things are incomparable to the awesomeness of our God. There are thousands of adjectives to choose from in the English language that don’t diminish and cheapen the true wonder and awe of the God we love.

If the sense of awe you feel in a moment truly parallels that of the God of the Universe, that is phenomenal and the word 'awesome' should be used. But if you experience something that is nothing more than average, pick one of those thousands of other adjectives, because 'awesome' is a God word.