Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
6 12 2023
Does Success mean your happiness or vice versa?
Someone asked me if I was successful and happy. My answer has certainly changed over the years not because I was or was not successful AND happy but because of how I viewed the concert of the two in my life.
“Success is getting what you want; happiness is wanting what you get. Happiness affects your level of success and your level of success affects your happiness. Happiness is really a choice you can choose to make”. Shawn Achor
So, it begs the question what comes first, happiness or success?
Research says, “There is a plethora of neuroscience and psychology studies that show that happiness leads to higher productivity, higher profits, and higher success rates. In other words, rather than becoming happy after a certain milestone is reached, happiness contributes more to success than the other way around.”
“It also said, Happiness is an emotion … but Joy is a stronger, a less common feeling than happiness”.
America spends about 10 billion a year on products/books/courses that promise self-improvement seeking success and happiness. Even the constitution called out “our right to the pursuit of happiness” but the world is overpaying for this slippery pursuit and sadly looking in all the wrong places.
It’s amazing that again Satan builds his kingdom on half-truths, which sound reasonable, even philosophical …but it’s really a road to disaster.
In addition, one of the researchers calculated that the happiness that comes from giving to charity is about the same as the happiness that comes from doubling your own income. (Maybe they were Christian tithers). 🙂
One huge detriment to happiness is some try so hard, they actually end up spending more time focusing on why they’re not happy — a phenomenon that scholars refer to as “Instagram.”
Early in my life, It certainly used to be about money. Always driven. Always pressing for success, comfort…what I need, and want but even in my younger Christian years, it was also about making room for God in my life. Believing there had to be something more.
I knew money was not everything although I did put more effort into that as a vital component.
I have had some incredible moments of success in my life but they did not lead to happiness. In fact, in the middle of real financial wealth came my hardest trials and my darkest moments of unhappiness. How many stars and athletes do we see that have all the money but clearly money didn’t buy them happiness either?
Even though there have been countless studies proving success does not bring happiness, far too many, including Christians, still cling to this solution.
Hugh Welchel said “We have combined an unbiblical definition of happiness with an unbiblical definition of success.
As Christians, this should not surprise us. Jesus told us as much 2,000 years ago in the parable of the talents. He said in Matt 25:14,
To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one,
to each according to his ability.
Biblical success is faithfully using all gifts, talents, and opportunities God has given us for the furtherance of his kingdom here on earth. This work should bring us both joy and peace of mind knowing we have done our best, through the power of Christ working through us, to accomplish what he has called us to do in order to make a difference in our world”.
God wants all of his children to be successful by living up to their potential. As Ken Boa writes, “God has entrusted us with certain resources, gifts, and abilities. Our responsibility is to live by that trust by managing these things well, according to HIS design and desire.”
Today, I look forward to growing new insights and revelations as I grow in spiritual maturity in an ever-increasing desire to study more of God’s word. It should not be surprising that as I grow in my spiritual walk with Christ that I view the challenges, the mindset of the world, and their ensuing problems so that I walk more in God’s peace. More open-eyed to the end times that we live in, and my response has grown so exponentially to walking in a calmness and yes even more of a peace that changes everything.
No need to search for the grail of success because, as Rick Warren has stated,
‘joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be alright, and the determined choice to praise God in every situation”.
Success…Happiness. Too many people, and too many Christians, run their lives, on the security of their own efforts, their own values, wisdom, and performance as if they were mini Gods in control of it all…or at least most of it. The Bible clearly inverts it all. “1 Cor 3 :18 “Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God”.
Learn to follow the lead of Jesus. Be a servant to all. Die to yourself and embrace His eternal purposes and not shifting sand. Ask God to remove the scales from your eyes to transform and realign your thinking to see what he sees and seek God the author of all truth and ask him how he sees those two words…and don’t leave your study until you have his answer. Hint, build your kingdom on heavenly rewards.
Lord I give you my heart, I give you my soul.
I live for You alone.
Every breath that I take, and every moment I’m awake.
Lord have Your way in me.
