All From Abundance - Vol. #004
A Look Inside:
- Thoughts on kids, calling, and the kind of legacy we’re actually building.
- How a garden became a vivid reminder that God is working, even when we don’t see it yet.
The Real Work - Tanner
Father’s Day in our family is so much fun. It’s not that I enjoy being the center of attention (I don’t). It’s just that there’s no greater joy than seeing our two kids take so much pride in wanting to make the day extra special for me. The pictures they draw, the cards they write, the candy they pick out for “me” to enjoy - it’s impossible not to feel seen and celebrated.
But as the events wind down and the day comes to an end, I often find myself wondering: Am I doing this well? Am I showing up in the ways that they need me? Are they receiving the best version of me?
There’s a tension I’ve wrestled with for years: the tension between fatherhood and ambition, between being present at home and being faithful to the work I feel called to in the world. I wrote about this at length earlier this year. But if I’m honest, I don’t feel any closer to perfecting the actual practice of it. I still often get it wrong.
Thankfully, there’s grace here. There’s also clarity, especially in this quote that I come back to again and again:
“Children are not a distraction from more important work. They are the most important work.” — C.S. Lewis
That line wrecks me in the best possible way. It reminds me that fatherhood isn’t something I squeeze in after the “real work” is done. It is the work. My legacy won’t be built solely through success, or strategy, or career milestones. It will be built through bedtime conversations, forgiveness offered quickly, and the quiet, ordinary faithfulness of showing up day after day.
A few years ago I started a Father’s Day tradition that helps me re-center a bit. Before they wake up, I sit down and write letters to both of them. They won’t read them now - these are letters for later when they’re much older. As I’m writing, I often wonder who they’ll be when they finally read them. What will they care about? What will they remember? What will they say and believe about their Creator? Will they have felt seen, known, and loved?
And each time I do this I immediately remember: who they will become rests so much on the work I choose to put in now.
Psalm 127 says that “children are a gift from the Lord…like arrows in the hands of a warrior.” I love that image. It’s not passive. It speaks to effort and intentionality. Arrows are shaped carefully, aimed deliberately, and eventually released with purpose. That’s the kind of father I want to be, and that kind of purposeful, intentional launch into the world is what I want for my children.
This tension - the pull between personal ambition and the work I’m called to at home - isn’t something I’ve mastered. It’s something I keep surrendering. But every time I pause long enough to see clearly, the choice is obvious.
Fatherhood is not a side project or an afterthought - it is the real work. And no title, promotion, or platform will ever matter more.
The Gardener at Work - Brittany
A few mornings ago, I walked onto our porch, peering out our window and noticed our raised garden bed. This summer I’ve chosen to be intentional about making our house a home and also showing our kids we can have hobbies. With our oldest home with me all summer, we decided to plant a small garden outside our back window. This particular morning, I sat down with my hot cup of coffee and noticed how full and vibrant our garden is getting. Thank you, Lord.
And then I thought: When was the last time we watered our vegetables? Knowing it had been at least 3 days with no water or rain, I immediately began to think about all the ways I fell short. I missed a day. I wasn’t perfect. But the Holy Spirit spoke to me in the most quiet and tender way.
It’s not about your good intentions or your perfection, Brittany. I AM the gardener. I AM the one who causes the fruit to grow. Don’t you realize I’m nourishing these plants and providing for them, even when you’re not? Will you trust me in the waiting for the fruit and vegetables to grow? Hold on to hope. Have patient endurance while you are waiting.
And immediately our small and growing vegetable garden became the sweetest picture of hope for me.
Holding onto an unanswered prayer. Waiting for God to move, provide, or reveal. The tension, the unknown, the not yet. I don’t like waiting. I want to see the fruit, the obedience from our children, miracles happen with close friends, wombs being filled - now. I’m a process girl in some areas of life, but in others, I want to see results and growth right away.
However, I’m learning that God wants to soften my heart and change my perspective before he ever changes the circumstances. I can choose confident trust, patient endurance, and lean into hope. He promises to fill in the gaps and provide. Even if I’m not watering my garden to perfection.
“So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.” — Hebrews 10:35-36
Do you need hope today? Be faithful, not perfect. Whether it’s discipleship with kids in your home or taking care of your body well, God does not require perfection. Steward your time well, water the ground God has given you, and trust in His faithfulness while you wait.
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” — Hebrews 10:23
Until next time,
-Tanner and Brittany
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