Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
1 30 2026
Success or Happiness, and the Question That Never Leaves Us
Which Comes First?
Is happiness the reward for success… or the soil it grows in?
Does success mean happiness—or does happiness define success?
Someone once asked me if I was successful and happy. My answer has changed over the years—not because I was or wasn’t either one, but because my understanding of how the two relate has been transformed.
As Shawn Achor puts it: “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.”
So the question remains: Which comes first—happiness or success?
Modern research claims to have an answer. Neuroscience and psychology studies suggest that happiness leads to higher productivity, greater profits, and higher success rates. In other words, happiness contributes more to success than success contributes to happiness.
But there’s a problem. It’s a slippery pursuit. The world promises happiness—but never tells you where it actually lives.
Happiness, research says, is an emotion.
Joy, on the other hand, is deeper, stronger, and far less common.
Americans spend nearly $10 billion a year on books, products, and courses promising self-improvement, success, and happiness. Even our Constitution enshrines the pursuit of happiness. Yet we are overpaying for a pursuit that keeps slipping through our fingers…and we’re often looking for love… in all the wrong places.
Why are we so slow to recognize the pattern:
Satan builds his kingdom on half-truths… Nothings new… things that sound reasonable, even philosophical… but ultimately lead to disappointment. Just look in your rear-view mirror.
One researcher even noted that the happiness gained from giving to charity is roughly equal to that of doubling one’s income. Maybe they stumbled onto something Scripture has been teaching all along.
One of the greatest enemies of happiness today is comparison…trying so hard to be happy that we become consumed with why we’re not. Scholars have a name for this phenomenon. They call it “Instagram.”
Bottom line: Money can buy comfort…but it cannot heal the soul.
Early in my life, success meant money. I was driven. Focused. Always pressing forward—for comfort, security, and what I wanted. Even in my early Christian walk, God had a place in my life—but not always the center. I believed there had to be something more, yet money still felt essential. The truth is, money didn’t save me!
I’ve experienced seasons of real financial success. And yet those seasons did not lead to happiness. In fact, some of my darkest moments came right in the middle of prosperity.
How many celebrities, athletes, and public figures have we watched reach the pinnacle…only to discover that money could not rescue them, let alone save them?
Despite overwhelming evidence, many…even Christians… still cling to the belief that success will finally make them happy.
As Hugh Whelchel said: “We have combined an unbiblical definition of happiness with an unbiblical definition of success.”
Heaven measures success very differently. You know that, right?
Doesn’t God’s Definition always Change Everything?
Jesus reframes success entirely in the Parable of the Talents:
“To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one…each according to his ability.”
Matthew 25:14
Biblical success is not accumulation—it is faithful stewardship.
Faithfully using the gifts, opportunities, and resources God has entrusted to us
for the advancement of His Kingdom.
That kind of success brings joy and peace, not because outcomes are guaranteed,
but because obedience is settled.
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.”
God desires His children to be successful—but successful His way.
Has Your Peace Grown with Maturity? Have you realized, as you’ve grown older, that the closer you walk with Christ, the calmer your steps become?
Today, if asked whether I am successful and happy, I would say this: I am still on a journey.
I haven’t arrived—but I am growing.
As my spiritual maturity has deepened, my hunger for God’s Word has increased. My perspective has changed. I see the world, its chaos, and its empty promises more clearly. And in that clarity, I’ve discovered something unexpected…peace.
A peace that grows as eternity comes into focus.
A calmness rooted not in control, but in surrender.
Try and put a price on that!
Finally Trying to Discover a Joy That Cannot Be Shaken
Joy isn’t denial—it’s trust.
Rick Warren captures it beautifully: “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.”
Too many people—and too many Christians—live as though their security rests in their own effort, wisdom, and performance. As if we are small gods managing our own universe.
Scripture turns that upside down:
“Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.” 1 Corinthians 3:18–19
At some point, we must realize that the journey only makes sense when eternity guides it.
Success and happiness are not evil—but they are incomplete truths. They can exist in varying degrees, yet neither can bear the weight of eternity.
True success, in God’s eyes, requires dying to self and living for His eternal purposes. Kingdom-minded living stores treasure where it cannot rust, fade, or be stolen.
As you continue your journey of faith, ask God to realign how you see success and happiness. Ask Him to remove the scales from your eyes. Don’t rush past the question—sit with Him until He answers.
“Seek first the Kingdom of God.”
And let everything else fall into its rightful place.
Can I Offer You A Worship Response?
Lord, I give You my heart.
I give You my soul.
I live for You alone.
Every breath that I take, every moment I’m awake—
Lord, have Your way in me.
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