Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
10 9 2026
When Happiness Grows Up
Jesus never told us to chase happiness. Of course He didn’t. We know that. But what exactly is happiness to you?
Have you ever really taken a deep dive into that question? Let’s try.
For most of us, happiness is the presence of pleasure. Good food, comfortable living, entertainment, hobbies, and the freedom to enjoy what we’ve worked hard for. Or perhaps it’s the absence of hardship. No financial worries, health concerns, family conflicts, or unexpected bills. And then there are those emotional highs. The excitement, the WOW moments that make us feel alive. Firecracker sensations rather than a quiet, steady state of peace.
Aren’t we all programmed to pursue some combination of those things?
But here’s something interesting. How quickly do we adapt to the good things in life? That new car, the raise, the latest phone. Remember how excited you were? And how long before something else caught your attention? Without realizing it, we’re chasing the next big thing, the next emotional high. Even our entertainment demands bigger explosions and more heart-pounding excitement. Think Top Gun: Maverick. Yes! I loved it!
Now wait a minute. Are you suggesting we stop enjoying those things?
No! Not at all. God has given us good things to enjoy. Scripture tells us He “richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (1 Timothy 6:17). But here’s a question. At what point in our Christian maturity do we begin looking beyond the gift and immediately recognize the Giver? When does gratitude and praise become our first response?
Can we take a thousand-foot view? Run these things through the eternal filter of God’s Word?
Peter reminds us that we are foreigners and exiles in this world (1 Peter 2:11). Temporary residents enjoying temporary blessings while traveling toward an eternal home. Enjoy the car, the vacation, the raise. Absolutely! But don’t confuse them with your inheritance. Our real treasure is kept for us in heaven (1 Peter 1:3–4). And when we understand that, we begin holding life’s blessings with an open hand rather than a clenched fist.
Because what happens when those blessings change? The job disappears. Your spouse’s health takes an unexpected turn. The motor blows up. Suddenly yesterday’s happiness is replaced by circumstances we never wanted. If happiness is anchored to circumstances, what happens when they fall apart?
Now, can I suggest a paradigm shift? What if we could upgrade good things into great things?
That raise is good. But what if it becomes great when viewed through an eternal filter? Suddenly it’s an opportunity to provide for family, bless someone struggling, support God’s Kingdom, and practice radical generosity. The blessing hasn’t changed, but its purpose has. We’ve taken something temporary and given it eternal significance.
So which of your blessings is easiest to enjoy with an open hand, and which would be hardest to surrender? Our comforts? Possessions? Financial security? Sometimes we don’t discover what we’re gripping until something threatens to take it away. Ouch!
You see, happiness often depends on happenings. When life goes well, we’re happy. When it falls apart, happiness disappears. But joy? Joy can coexist with tears. We can mourn deeply while resting in the certainty that God is good, that He works in all things for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28), and that this broken world isn’t the end of our story.
Three years ago, I had a heart attack at my daughter’s 21st birthday party. We had just finished cutting the cake. Talk about going from celebrating life with your family to suddenly wondering whether yours was about to end! There I was, facing triple bypass surgery and wondering, is this it? Happy? Not hardly!
But Jesus gave me a peace beyond the pain and beyond the fear. The fear that I might never walk my girls down the aisle. The fear that I wouldn’t have more years with my wife or enough time to leave her better provided for financially. Those were real fears. I wasn’t pretending otherwise.
But God. Those two words keep reappearing in my life. Pastor Dale deposited them in my heart some 25 years ago, and here they were again, speaking louder than the circumstances surrounding me.
I was truly at peace. Not necessarily because I believed I would come through surgery alive, but because I knew that whatever happened, everything I was and everyone I held dear was in His hands. I can’t give you a formula for that kind of peace. I can only tell you it was there, deep in my heart, even as doctors prepared to repair the broken pieces of my physical one.
Before they ever opened my heart, Jesus already owned it.
And that’s when you discover that the peace Jesus offers isn’t just something you read about in Scripture. It’s something you can actually live in when your world is falling apart.
Running life through the filter of Christ doesn’t kill happiness. It rescues it!
It takes something fragile, something the world can steal in a moment, and begins transforming it into something the world cannot give or take away. I think happiness actually has an evolution in the life of a Christian. As we mature, our dependence on circumstances gives way to deeper joy, anchored in a peace that defies human understanding.
Paul calls it “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). Not peace because everything is going well, but peace guarding our hearts and minds when nothing seems right.
The Hebrew word shalom helps us understand this. We think of peace as the absence of conflict. No problems, no storms. But biblical shalom speaks of wholeness, completeness, and right relationship with God. It doesn’t mean everything around us is perfect. It means we can be held together by the One who is.
Colossians 3:15 tells us to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts. And don’t miss this. It’s not a mental trick, positive thinking, or simply an act of our will. Our peace is rooted in a Person. Isaiah called Him the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), and Paul declares, “He himself is our peace” (Ephesians 2:14).
Jesus isn’t merely the One who gives us peace. He IS our peace.
Your internal reality no longer has to be dictated by your external circumstances. You can experience disappointment without losing hope, grieve without surrendering joy, and face uncertainty without being consumed by fear. Not because you’re stronger than the storm, but because you’re anchored to Someone who is.
And perhaps that’s what growing up in happiness really looks like. We still enjoy the good things, laugh at the movies, celebrate the raise, and thank God for His blessings. But we no longer require those things… to be okay. Our joy is rooted in Christ, our peace guarded by His presence, and our future secured by His promises.
So let me leave you with two questions. What earthly blessing are you holding so tightly that the thought of losing it steals your peace? And when was the last time something went terribly wrong,
yet deep inside you experienced a peace you couldn’t explain?
What was that?
Perhaps it was the Prince of Peace reminding you He was still there.
That’s a happiness worth growing into. Because we know how the story ends.
Father, thank You for every good gift You’ve placed in our lives. Forgive us when we become more attached to the blessing than to You, the Giver. Teach us to enjoy what You’ve provided without allowing those things to possess our hearts. Help us hold the temporary with open hands while clinging to what is eternal. And when storms come, remind us that our peace isn’t found in the absence of trouble but in the presence of Jesus. Holy Spirit, teach us to live with that unshakable confidence, even through our tears. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
My prayer is that these devotionals do more than give you something to think about… that they draw you closer to Jesus Christ, deepen your love for Him, and encourage you to live out your faith.
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