As I began to walk away from the ATM machine, I noticed the
final message behind the screen in front of me.
“Have an amazing day!”
Not “Have a nice
day,” – but an amazing day. Let ‘er
rip. Go for all the gusto you can get.
Can you name an amazing day you’ve had in your life?
I think
of the day I got married. I have an amazing wife. That was an amazing day. When
my kids were born, that was amazing. I have amazing kids. When I was a boy,
seeing Willie Mays hit a homerun, that was amazing for a 14 year old. Or should
I say A-Mays-ing. The first time I walked on the streets of Calcutta was
amazing. It was a-maze of streets.
But most days are not amazing. I don’t usually say “Amazing, I paid the phone bill today.”
Or when I say, “Got the oil changed,
honey.” My wife seldom replies, “Amazing!”
(Although she might in this example)
Overstatement
We Americans, and maybe other countries too, I’m not sure,
have the trait of overstatement.
“That was an epic
fail.”
“Your front yard looks
awesome”
“I am super hungry.”
“He’s an incredible
artist.” (If not credible or believable that he’s an artist, when in reality he is, would that be good or bad?)
Suppose I did have an amazing day. Maybe I walked away from
a head-on. Or we won $21 million dollars in the lottery. (I don't play the lottery) Or what if my income was doubled? Tripled? Or
Obama invited me to spend the weekend in the Lincoln bedroom? Amazing!
What if every day was amazing? The unexpected, the spectacular, - school debts paid off, a promotion, that motorcycle you always wanted (or that I wanted), trip to the Bahamas, our loved ones were with us, - became a daily "routine." What a run of good fortune! Life would be amazing! My ATM machine's wish would be fulfilled.
Or would it? If every day was amazing, that would become normal. Then
what would we call amazing? If the extraordinary becomes the ordinary, then
extraordinary has no meaning. Maybe the ordinary then becomes extraordinary? Like any drug, the extraordinary would have diminishing effect with continued use.
So we overstate things. We use exceptional words for ordinary things.
If someone’s hairdo looks "awesome," then what word do we use when we see something that really is awesome?
I’m sorry, but hairdos are not really awesome.
What things really are amazing, epic, awesome, or
incredible?
There are many. A sunset. A tsunami wave. A reception in football. The taste of your mother's lasagna. God.
The Bible refers to Him in superlatives. Consider:
The Bible refers to Him in superlatives. Consider:
“Joshua told the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow
the LORD will do amazing things among you.’”[1] He did. He knocked down the walls of Jericho with a shout.
That’s amazing.
“Who among the gods is
like you, LORD? Who is like you— majestic in holiness, awesome in
glory, working wonders?”[2] He
had parted the Red Sea… now that is
awesome!
“And when the demon
was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and
said, ‘Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.’”[3]
Healings that are not possible by natural means? Now that is amazing.
The ATM bids me to have a day like one that has 'never been seen...' If it happens, it would be great! But it would be hard to sustain. That's one thing that's cool about Jesus, He is always amazing. Even when it' not an amazing day.
When Paul was running out of words to describe who God is, he said, “Oh, the depth
of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How
unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!”[4]
There are some words that are only fit for truly special
things or for God.
Have an amazing day!
