Things I’m prone to…insecurity, selfishness, shutting down emotionally, hiding my feelings, being silent when it matters, being loud when it doesn’t, laziness, analysis paralysis, worry…and a lot of other stuff.
I’m prone to good things too! Like laughing, singing, being grateful, dancing, buying new shoes…
So I’m definitely more prone to the negative stuff. We all tend to be that way. We’re prone to negative thoughts and selfish actions, reacting rather than responding and controlling instead of surrendering.
Clearly we need help. It’s just a fact, and a great way to get the help we need is through this fun, six-syllable word commonly referred to as accountability.
Did anyone else just shudder?
Common synonyms for accountability are responsibility, duty, liability…basically a lot of words that end in “y” and mean we don’t get to play the blame game when we want to.
So when it’d be natural to run away from this uncomfortable word, why am I instead walking right up to it and allowing myself to be kept in check?
- Because accountability makes me more like Jesus. It keeps me in a steady state of growing and maturing, becoming more like Jesus. By inviting accountability into my life—through prayer, reading my Bible and relationships with others—the not-so-amazing pieces of me are constantly being chipped away. It doesn’t always feel good, but if following Christ is my main goal, it’s worth it.
- Because I tend to wander. I mean, think about how quickly you can get from point A to Z in your brain. I can be thinking about the state of the world and a minute later be thinking about the pattern on my necklace, how the red shines on that chair over there, what am I going to eat for dinner and I hope that I get to buy a new car sometime in the next 5 years…oh, right—back to accountability. It matters. Otherwise there’s no telling where our thoughts, that become actions, might lead.
- Because accountability prevents me from repeating history. I’ve got an angry bone in me. I get it honestly. I could blame other people for it but that wouldn’t change anything. Instead, I’m standing up to it and ending my family’s history of anger, here and now. Inviting checks and balances into my life—people who can call me out on an attitude I’ve got or an insecurity that’s showing itself, people who can check me at the heart level on my motives—that’s a game changer. And I don’t know about you, but I’m here to change the game.
In the end, accountability keeps us focused on the right things and ultimately protects us from further hurt down the road. While we’re all prone to negativity, wandering and repeating mistakes, it’s good to know that God has a couple tools on-hand that’ll help keep us coming back to Him.
Accountability isn’t fun. It is worth it though. It means slowly but surely we’re becoming more like Jesus. So let’s be accountable for our lives to God and to others. It’s a good thing.
