It's been a couple of weeks of "hype"--part of which I've participated in or even helped propel. (I don't need to list the media stories, status reports, event promotions etc. that you've seen as well as I have) And now that I think about it, I am wondering about how to balance the idea of sharing something with enthusiasm while still remaining real. (As an aside, I found it funny that on my first write of this, I had spelled "real" as "reel." A slip perhaps alluding to how hype is meant to "reel" people in?)

Unless you've been hidden away (which may be smart sometimes!) you've probably experienced all the media hype about various things recently. And if you social network, you pick up on hype quite frequently, especially if people are building a business online. Hype even exists in the world of faith. Hype can often be spotted when you see  "awesome," "always," "delighted" or other strong emotive words used frequently.

Now, there's nothing wrong with using these words occasionally. If a friend had an delightful time somewhere, I'm fine with them saying it. If you see an awesome sunset and want to praise God, go for it! But I think that  those of us with interactive, enthusiastic tendencies (note I am including myself) need to be careful not to lean toward dishonesty in how we promote things or state how we are doing by overuse of strong words. For example, if someone is always having an awesome day, do you really believe them? If you receive heavy compliments from someone, but they say them to lots of people (like, "you're the best!") does it begin to smack of insincerity? If someone regularly says, "This is the best pizza I've ever had?" do you begin to just ignore their opinion? And dare I say...if you are a Christian and are often spouting "God talk," (i.e. throwing His name in to every conversation) do you come across as unreal? I know I may be stepping on toes here....including my own. But where's the line between marketing well, or sincere enthusiasm, and thoughtless praise or flippant reference to our sovereign God? There were times that Jesus warned people NOT to tell people about Him...(see Mark 9:9-10) probably because He wanted them to really understand Him first.

There are times that is  okay to admit you are not having a great day. There are times to shout His praise. There are times to quietly reflect and keep our mouths shut, and realize we don't always have to have an up-to-date status on Facebook.

What do you think?