While waiting on hold the other day, I said to myself, "This is taking FOREVER!" and was immediately checked..."How long is "forever, Sadell?" Well, at least another hour..."Why don't you say that then?" Because it's more dramatic to say forever, LOL! Our culture is filled with HYPERBOLE—exaggerated statements and claims not meant to be taken literally. Newscasters, politicians, sports figures, and preachers are prone to represent things as larger, smaller, better, or worse than they really are. Hyperbolic statements abound in our homes, and on our jobs. "They NEVER stop talking." "The boss gave us a TON of work!" and my personal favorite..."This is the 50 millionth time this has happened!" I don't know how I gravitated toward that number, but I wish I were talking about dollars. Have you ever used hyperbole to get your point across? What are the long term effects of the use of colorful, yet untrue commentary and embellishments?
Hyperbole does something to our emotional state. Exasperation and unnecessary stress can accompany taking things further than they were ever intended to go. "This is AMAZING!" "That is the WORST!" These declarations are often followed by emotions that further aggrandize or catastrophize—yet we seem unaware of what this cultural norm is doing to us. Dr. Marty Nemko writes, "most people know we don't mean such terms literally, but when we cavalierly toss them around, we're more likely to be viewed, if only unconsciously, as hype-mongers or having low standards. A person will likely think us a fool if we call someone "awesome" when we think they're just good. Also, when we call the good "amazing," we deny the truly excellent their right to a superlative. If we call our competent supervisee "awesome," how do we describe the truly excellent one— GOD?"
Jesus used hyperbolic speech in Luke 14:26 when He said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters — yes, even their own life — such a person cannot be my disciple." This 'hatred' is not about detesting yourself or your family; it's about no one holding priority over the LORD in worship. In Matthew 7:1-5 when Christ teaches us not to judge one another, He says do not try take the speck out of the eye of another while there's a beam in yours. The use of hyperbolic speech is used to make a moral point. However, in speaking to others, the Bible emphasizes being truthful. Proverbs 12:22 NLT says, "The LORD detests lying lips, but He delights in those who tell the truth." Modern hyperbolic exaggeration hinders honest, forthright, and unadorned speech, How would your life change if you cut out hyperbole? | 
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