Updated 3/2/12

Do you ever find yourself wishing you could simply “power off”?

Shut down?

Flip a switch and turn your brain off?

Some days are like that for me… I leave work with my mind still racing.

I struggle to let things go, or leave things at the office, as I commute home.

I replay different conversations, or think through upcoming scenarios, or even sit with the weight of struggling students.

And this struggle isn’t limited to just “problems”, it can also be caused by BIG ideas — great ideas — which can actually make this challenge all the more difficult, because unlike “problems”, BIG ideas are fun to think about.

I pray.

I try to give these things fully to God.

But they won’t go away.

My 30 minute commute goes by too quickly and I find myself driving up my street.

I pull into the driveway and attempt to clear my head… knowing that my kids will be lying in wait, ready to pounce on me, once I walk through the door.

I park the car, and breath a prayer, asking God to help me focus on my role as husband and father…

I walk through the door, and I’m conflicted, knowing where I need to be… and fighting with my brain… to get there too… quickly.

And then I spend the next few hours fighting to be present to my family, because my work already gets some of my best… but at times, I drift back into the issues of the day.

It’s not how I want to spend the evening.

It’s not what my family deserves.

I don’t believe it’s what God desires.

But I don’t have a switch.

I sometimes wish that I did.

Can you relate?

• Do you ever struggle to leave work at work?
• Are there ever any good reasons to bring any of the struggles and stress of work home with you?
• How does your family fair when you’re not fully there?  Do they understand?  Do they grow frustrated?

I’d love to hear how you walk this line.

Please take a moment to share your own struggles, and triumphs, in the comment section below.