Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
7 1 2026
The Question Nobody’s Asking
You know, I recently heard Pastor Daryl Black ask a question that has stayed with me ever since.
“So let me ask you something nobody’s asking. Are you OK? Not your business. Not your finances. Not your plans. Not what you’re posting on social media. You. Are… you… OK?”
I haven’t been able to get that question out of my mind.
Because somewhere along the way we’ve become very good at answering the wrong questions. We tell people we’re busy. We tell people work is going well. We tell them the family is fine. We tell them we’re hanging in there. We smile. We laugh. We change the subject. We become experts at protecting everyone from what’s really going on inside.
But every now and then, life stops us long enough to remind us that beneath every handshake is a story. Behind every smile is a battle. Inside every heart is something most people never see.
Today is one of those moments.
As I thought about my friend who committed suicide, I didn’t just think about the things he accomplished or the memories we shared. I thought about the value of a human life. I thought about how easy it is to assume someone is doing fine simply because they look fine. And I wondered how many people around us are carrying burdens they have never put into words.
The Bible says in Galatians 6:2, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
It’s hard to help carry a burden if we never know it’s there.
Maybe one of the greatest gifts we can give each other isn’t another answer. Maybe it’s another question.
“Are you really OK?”
Because that question requires our presence… not our platitudes.
And maybe an even greater gift is waiting long enough to hear the answer.
King David understood this. He was called a man after God’s own heart, yet he also wrote, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?” (Psalm 42:11). David didn’t pretend. He brought his pain into the presence of God. He gave words to what was happening in his heart.
I think sometimes we believe strength means hiding our struggles. Scripture teaches something different. Strength often begins with honesty. Honesty with God. Honesty with ourselves. Honesty with someone who loves us enough to listen.
So today, I remember a man who meant so much to so many. But more than that… for those of you who didn’t know him… I hope we remember each other.
Look around your sphere of influence. Your family. Your friends. Even casual acquaintances. God has given us discernment. Read the room. Listen with your spirit. Pay attention.
They aren’t just faces. They are people with stories. People with victories and disappointments. People carrying fears, grief, regrets, and questions. People who may desperately need someone to notice them.
Let’s become people who ask one more question… who make one more phone call… who stay five more minutes… who refuse to assume that because someone looks strong, they don’t need encouragement.
And before you leave for work today, I’d like to ask you the same question that has been echoing in my own heart.
Are you OK?
If the answer is yes, thank God and keep encouraging others.
If the answer is no, don’t carry that burden alone. Let someone walk with you. Let God meet you there.
There is no shame in saying, “I’m not OK.” Sometimes those four words become the first step toward healing.
Life is precious. People are precious. You are precious. And every one of us matters far more than we sometimes realize.
My heart today isn’t simply to make this about my friend’s suicide. It’s about seeing people.
My friend becomes the reminder, not the lesson.
Yes, I want to honor his life. But even more, I feel compelled to challenge every one of us to look around…
and look more deeply.
If today’s devotion causes just one of us to ask one more question… make one more phone call… or tell one more person,
“I love you,” then my friend’s life—and even the tragedy of his death—
will continue to make a difference.
“What part of this hit home for you this morning? What are you carrying today that needs prayer? If you’d like, send me a prayer request here. Let’s invite the Holy Spirit in together. (where two are gathered.) You are not walking alone. Just hit reply…
I read every response.”
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYR0xP1j4PYBethel Music
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