If you’ve hung around me for any amount of time, you’ve heard me talk about margin, boundaries, and not sacrificing your family on the altar of work.
I still believe every word of that. And at the same time, I keep coming back to this: Christian men are also called to work like crazy on things that matter.
The tension we feel
Most of us live in the swing between two extremes.
On one side is hustle culture - the version of masculinity that tells you to grind 24/7, sleep when you’re dead, and measure your worth by how many hours you logged this week.
On the other side is a sort of passive “balance” that quietly drifts into comfort. You’re physically around your family more, but you’re not really building anything. You’re not taking responsibility for much outside your own four walls.
If you’ve ever felt guilty for working hard and felt guilty for not working hard enough, welcome to the club.
The tension is real. But it doesn’t mean something is broken. It might just mean you’re paying attention.
Work existed before the fall
One of the most important truths we can recover is this: work is not a result of sin.
Before there was pain, frustration, and toil, there was a garden. And in that garden, God gave Adam a job. Work was created before the fall, and God called it good.
That means hard work is not automatically the enemy of your soul or your family. In its right place, work is part of how we image God. We take raw material - ideas, time, opportunities, businesses, teams, communities - and we cultivate them.
So when you feel that pull to build something meaningful, that isn’t just capitalism talking. There’s something God-given in you that wants to create, protect, and provide.
The question isn’t “Should I work hard?” The question is “What am I working hard for?”
Build something that blesses more than your ego
This is where the transcript’s emphasis lands: Christian men should build things that are worth building.
That means we don’t work hard just to climb a ladder, hit some arbitrary revenue number, or impress the internet. We work hard to:
- Bless our families with stability, presence, and provision
- Bless our communities by building businesses, churches, and institutions that serve real people
- Strengthen God’s kingdom by creating wealth and influence that can be deployed for kingdom causes
“Who else should control our country, our communities, our towns, than God’s people?”
It’s about dominion. It’s about stewardship. If someone is going to build schools, companies, nonprofits, and local institutions, why not men and women who actually love Jesus and their neighbors?
Working exceedingly hard on the right things is one of the most practical ways to love your neighbor.
Legacy, not just lifestyle
It’s easy to think in terms of the next promotion or the next vacation. But Scripture pushes us to think in terms of generations.
The way you work today is shaping a legacy your kids will either inherit or have to overcome.
When you work hard to build something that lasts:
- You hand your children more than just money - you hand them a story
- You create options for them to step into a meaningful mission, not just a job
- You generate wealth that can be pointed at kingdom-building instead of self-indulgence
This isn’t about building an empire with your name on it. It’s about building a foundation your kids can stand on as they follow Jesus in their generation.
So how do you not lose your family in the process?
Here’s the tension again: “Work like dogs” and “be available as husbands and fathers.”
Most of us try to solve this by chasing some mythical perfect balance. That’s not really how it works. It’s more like active stewardship in two directions at the same time.
A few simple frames that help:
Presence is about attention, not just time
There will be seasons when you are working a lot. The goal is not to magically make every week look the same. The goal is that when you are with your family, they get you - your eyes, your curiosity, your affection.
Talk about the mission at home
Don’t let your work live in a separate, secret compartment. Let your spouse and kids in on what you’re building and why it matters. Help them see how this season of hard work connects to blessing them and blessing others.
Set real limits in real places
Being a hard worker is not the same as being available to everyone all the time. Decide when you’re done for the day. Decide which nights are protected. Decide what you will say “no” to so you can say “yes” to both family and calling.
You’re not choosing between being a good dad and working hard. You’re choosing to be faithful in both directions.
Build something bigger than yourself
At the end of the day, this is not complicated, even if it’s costly:
Work hard. Build something that will last. Aim it at God’s kingdom. And refuse to trade your family for any of it.
We need Christian men who are present at home and who are willing to sweat, grind, and build for the glory of God and the good of their communities.
Work hard and play hard. Build a legacy your kids can carry further than you ever could.
To thriving,
Zach
