“Leave it at the door, Dad,” my son Joshua said at the dinner table. Apparently, I was carrying my frustrations from my day into our family time and Josh called me out on it. He was only about 11 at the time, but he was so right! How many times have you allowed the stress of ministry and leadership affect your home life or you take it out on the relationships closest to you? Hebrews 12:15 says it like this, “See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” When I begin to carry those frustrations or that stress, it will cause trouble for me and for those around me. What is the answer? Staying in the grace of God. Grace keeps us free, free from unforgiveness toward others, free from anxiety, free from carrying that heavy load by ourselves because we know and we believe that our God really cares for us and for any situation we are facing (I Peter 5:7). So now before I get home, I’ve learned to leave it at the door and trust in His grace to be enough!
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“Dejalo en la puerta, Papá,” dijo mi hijo Joshua mientras comíamos la cena familiar. Aparentemente, llevaba mis frustraciones de mi día y estaba afectando nuestro tiempo juntos. ¡Joshua sólo tenía 11 años en ese momento, pero tenía razón! ¿Cuántas veces ha permitido que el estrés del ministerio y el liderazgo afecten su vida en el hogar o lo sacan de las relaciones más cercanas a usted? Hebreos 12:15 dice así: “Asegúrense de que nadie deje de alcanzar la gracia de Dios; de que ninguna raíz amarga brote y cause dificultades y corrompa a muchos.” Cuando empiezo a llevar esas frustraciones o ese estrés, causará problemas para mí y para los que me rodean. ¿Cual es la respuesta? Permanecer en la gracia de Dios. La gracia nos mantiene libres, libres de la amargura, libres de la ansiedad, libres de llevar esa pesada carga de nosotros mismos porque sabemos y creemos que nuestro Dios realmente se preocupa por nosotros y por cualquier situación que enfrentamos (I Pedro 5:7). Así que ahora antes de llegar a casa, he aprendido a dejarlo en la puerta y confiar en Su gracia ser suficiente.
Leadership in Any Language... Liderazgo en Toda Lengua 
What a good word. Floyd and I had a rule that we weren’t allowed to talk about work when we hit the half-way mark in our commute. It was a blessing to work together and to have the time to decompress and focus on our family. We didn’t always succeed in leaving the frustrations behind but setting a line in the sand in which to try was always a step in the right direction.
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Great boundary Rebekah— Tracie and I also are finding ways to set this boundary. Otherwise, we would be consumed by the need all the time. Thank you for your wisdom!
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