One sign that you have made success an idol is the false sense of security it brings. The poor and the marginalized expect suffering, they know what life on this earth is “nasty, brutish, and short.” Successful people are much more shocked and overwhelmed by troubles. As a pastor, I’ve often heard people from the upper echelons say, “Life isn’t supposed to be this way,” when they face tragedy. I have never heard such language in my years as a pastor among the working class and the poor. The false sense of security comes from deifying our achievement and expecting it to keep us safe from the troubles of life in a way that only God can.
- Timothy Keller, in the chapter “The Seduction of Success” from his book, Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters.
