Part 3 of Quiet Sins Dads Face
This one can hide behind responsibility. I told myself I was working hard for my family – and in many ways, that was true. But eventually I had to confront the question: am I trusting God to provide, or amI trying to control everything through work?
Scripture warns us about endless striving. Psalm 127:2 says it’s vain to rise early and go late to rest, because God gives sleep to those He loves. Overworking can quietly teach our families that security comes from effort, not faith. Jesus presses the issue even deeper in Matthew 16:26, asking what it profits a man to gain the world but lose his soul.
God’s design for fathers includes time, not just income. Deuteronomy 6:6–7 places spiritual formation in everyday moments – sitting, walking, rising, lying down. Those moments disappear when work consumes all our margin. Providing is biblical. But when it replaces presence, something precious is lost.
Our culture in the US has gotten this wrong for a long time. It is not provide or be present – is both – provide and be present.
God never asked you to carry the weight of provision alone. Faith sometimes looks like working less, trusting more, and choosing people over productivity.
Reflection Question:
What might change if you trusted God with your family’s future instead of trying to outwork your fear?
Dadvotionals 