There is a myth in our culture that believes you should leave work at work and not bring it home with you. Now, there’s two aspects to this. I do not advocate bringing physical work home to do while you’re home. If you’re at home, then be at home and fully present. I’m talking about the emotional, spiritual and psychological aspects of work. The myth is that you shouldn’t bring those home.

The truth is that you and I are one person and so whatever happens in life, we bring with ourselves into the other areas.

Understand that you’re one being made up of different parts. Though the spirit will separate from the body, I do not believe that God, as far as I can tell from the beginning of creation, did not intend for there to be a separation between body and spirit. We were designed to be one being, in the likeness of God. However, due to sin, there is a separation of the body from the spirit, at least temporarily, until we’re resurrected.

I have found that as much as I try to leave events of my life where they happened, it does not work. I bring my experiences with me. If I have a crummy day at work, I can’t simply leave those emotions behind me and not bring them home to my wife. If I’ve had a difficult day at work, I’ve found that it helps to discuss the event with my wife.

This helps with a few things:

1. I become conscious of what’s bothering me. If I’m aware of what’s bothering me, then I’m active in preventing it from influencing my interaction with my wife or others.
2. I can process how God wants me to respond to it. Many times, I get angry or frustrated with someone at work. If I don’t process how God would want me to respond to the situation, then most likely I’ll revert to reacting from my fallen fleshly desire.
3. I gain closure or a plan to deal with it. When I become conscious and process what is bothering me, I can forgive someone and let go of any baggage or hurt. I may also recognize that in offending someone that I need to approach that person, admit my fault and ask for forgiveness. If I don’t do this, it effects, in a negative way, my interaction with coworkers, friends and family. It also influences my spiritual health, my minds ability to think, and my productivity at work. Why? Because all of my spiritual, mental, and physical resources are being drained to deal with hurt, pain, anger, or frustration.

Here’s a couple ways to implement these steps:

1. Talk or write it out. Discuss it with a friend, mentor, or your spouse who is mature enough to handle it and will give you the truth. Maybe you could think it out loud by talking to God about it. Or, perhaps you simply need to write it out so that you can gain clarity.
2. Ask yourself how God wants you to deal with it. Consult scripture because God has a prescribed way of dealing with offenses between people. If it’s an issue more complicated, seek advice from a mature, sober minded spiritual leader.
3. Make and execute the plan. If you need to ask for forgiveness from someone, do it without delay. Do not wait on the perfect time or moment. Procrastination only makes a bad situation worse, especially if you do not deal with offenses between yourself and someone else. If there’s a fire, don’t let it continue to spread, put it out before it gets bigger.

There is a reason God’s way of seeking forgiveness and responding correctly is the best path for us to take.

Question: How do you deal with things that effect your relationship and interactions with others? Do you bury your emotions down so that no one knows, or do you bring them out in a safe place to deal with them?

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