In Part 1 of this short series on “the new you,” I focused on the substance found in a couple of key biblical texts.  I explored how the phrase “the new you” in these texts goes beyond shallow or mere surface-level approaches.  I highlighted the possibility of deep-level transformation that works its way from the inside out.  

In this post, I want to keep thinking about “the new you”  by looking at the difference between grounded hope and destructive hype. Whereas hope offers steady encouragement and lasting renewal, hype—whether overdone optimism or grotesque despair—distorts reality and drains vitality. Biblical texts variously warn against pursuing (on the one hand) hollow or empty assurances, or (on the other hand) negative and destructive thinking.  They call us instead to embrace hope rooted in faith, humility, and substance.

1. Hope Over Hype

I’m very interested in a “new me”:  what refreshes and renews me, lifts me to new levels, allows me to feel vibrant and alive, empowers me to stand strong during struggles, and inspires me to new accomplishments. 

For me, these are not just words or empty phrases.  With such a statement, I embrace hope over hype. 

By hope I mean that which offers a vision of a promising future.  It grounds, settles, and assures; it encourages at least one more step. 

By hype (a shortened form of hyperbole, which has as its base meaning “to throw over the top”)  I refer to two types:

1. “Manic Hype” is when we hide in the fantasy (the unrealistic allure) of inflated, yet empty promises. Here, we seek solace by artificially pumping up perception and ramping up excitement beyond reality. Here we thrive on exaggeration by creating a shiny, over-the-top façade of optimism.  This type of hype is the sugar high we’re all familiar with.
2. “Morbid Hype” is when we hide in the fiction (the invented assessment) of an imagined, dystopian personal world. Here we desperately seek solace and safety.  We protect ourselves from being let down.  We hold on for dear life, only to end up in the bitter and destructive realm of despair.  We wrap ourselves in a melodrama of misery, hiding behind the language of, “I’m just being realistic.”  We take on an exaggerated and emotionally charged story about ourselves, and we become stuck in fear, failure, or pessimism. We wallow and suffocate in continual negativity, and we pump all of our available air into doubt, despair, and cynicism. Unchecked, this develops into a self-sustaining cycle and a distorted view of reality.  We become afraid to look up and unwilling to trust or step out lest we fall or get knocked down again.  Yes, this, too, is hype.  It’s full-blown, self-consumed, destructive hype.  It’s the sugar crash that just won’t go away.

The problem is, the so-called solace offered by hype of either kind is a lie.  All hype, whether manic or morbid, is parasitic.  Like an ancient mythological Succubus or Incubus, it overwhelms its victims by draining their physical, emotional, and spiritual vitality.  Those given to either brand of hype can become addicted to it and will fight to maintain it.

2. Biblical Texts

Biblical texts sometimes talk about the folly of “Manic Hype” in the form of boastful self-promotion, hollow promises, or deceptive appearances, warning against misplaced trust and attraction to things superficial.  For a few examples,

• Jer 7:4 cautions against trusting in symbolic but empty assurances.
• Ps 33:17 condemns misplaced hope.
• Prov 27:1-2 and Jas 4:13-16 warn against arrogant boasting and inflated plans.
• Mt 23:27 has Jesus condemning outward appearances without inward integrity.
• 2Pet 2:18 exposes false teachers who manipulate with empty, emotionally charged words.
• Rev 3:17-18 rebukes Christians in Laodicea for their distorted self-perception, thinking they are rich while being spiritually poor and blind—a form of self-deception linked to misplaced focus.
• For more on this see texts like these: Isa 30:1-2; 31:1; Jer 2:13; 17:5; Hos 8:7; Mt 6:1-6; 6:16-18; Lk 18:9-14; 1Cor 3:18-20; Gal 6:3; Col 2:8; 2Tim 3:5.

In all of these, such behavior is viewed as surface-level faith, an illusion that distracts from, undermines, and destroys genuine faith, humility, and substance.

Numerous biblical texts also call out—rather strongly—“Morbid Hype” as a mindset rooted in fear, self-pity, and exaggerated despair. Just read through these examples:

• Num 13:31-33 The Israelites have paralyzing fear
• Job 3:25 Job has dread
• Eccl 1:2 Ecclesiastes reflects a sense of futility
• Mt 6:25-34: Jesus warns against anxiety and excessive worry about life’s needs, calling instead for trust that God will provide.
• Jn 5:6: Jesus asks the paralyzed man at the pool of Bethesda, “Do you want to get well?”—challenging a possible mindset of resignation and self-pity.
• 2Cor 4:8-9: Paul acknowledges struggles but rejects despair, stating, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair.”
• 1Th 4:13: Paul cautions against grieving “like the rest, who have no hope.”
• Phil 4:6-7: Paul instructs believers to avoid anxiety and bring their concerns to God in prayer and thanksgiving.
• Rev 2:10 Jesus encourages the church in Smyrna not to be overcome by fear or despair despite impending persecution.
• Rev 21:8 The “cowardly” are listed among those excluded from the New Jerusalem, highlighting how fear and despair can lead to spiritual failure.
• Rev 12:11 Believers overcome Satan by refusing to let fear of death dominate them.
• Rev 18:9-19 The lament over Babylon shows how fear and despair grip those who placed their hope in fleeting systems, leading to exaggerated mourning and hopelessness.

Such texts expose how fear-driven despair, distorted perceptions of reality, and paralyzing negativity and pessimism trap people in a cycle of inaction and hopelessness.

In sharp contrast, they call for actions rooted and grounded in hope:  a refusal to let fear or despair become the dominant mentality; and a determination of courage, faith, and trust in God’s promises and ultimate victory.

3. Hope for a “New You”

Without hope, there can be no “new you.”  And we are not just talking about “a hope of eternal life” or some such wonderful, future thing; we are talking about hope in every aspect of life.  Sometimes the problems we face have no solution that we like;  that does not mean there is no hope or that we cannot act out of hope. At such times, we must reject hype of any kind and embrace hope.  Grounded hope helps us to look up and stand up—and maybe then “a new you” will show up.

Gary D. Collier
Director, IABC