Accountability...What's That?

Today, I was thinking about the mystery of "accountability".

In any group discussion I've been in, eventually, someone will say, "What IS accountability anyway?"

Well, accountability is when you ask someone to "call you" on something if they see you getting out of line. If you ever seem to be getting off track and you can't see it yourself, they will be responsible for sparing life or limb to bring you back.

That being said, it undoubtedly takes a very special friend to take on this responsiblity.

The funny thing about accountability is, it sounds really good and safe and sensible, until someone has to "implement it upon you". In this case, be forewarned...it feels like you just lost a friend. It makes you feel misunderstood, judged, and angry... and loved, all at the same time. You may feel like the person "means well" even though they obviously do not know what they are talking about, or they would agree with you, as in times past.

By the time you've come to disagree, you may have very well been deceived...so, they do,in fact, seem wrong. You used to agree on all the "main things"! Who do they think they are, anyway? Circumstances are different...they just don't understand.

You may have asked them to "call you" on the very thing you now seem to disagree on. You can't figure out who is right and who is wrong...or if it's all in the interpretation, or if God has fooled you, someone has fooled you, or you have fooled yourself. So, a tornado becomes increasingly visible to you. What do you do? You feel like no matter which way you move, if you move on inch in any direction, something is going to whack you right upside the head to your probable death or demise. Yes...it feels that extreme.

My advice is...rest. If you can't see things, don't know for sure who or what is right, and feel like you are constantly on a tight rope...somethings IS wrong. You've probably grown inconsistent in the life message you were striving to maintain. You are close to losing it, and they see that.

The only safe place is in the eye of the storm, at the very center. Be very careful. Wait for the storm to pass, to calm down, don't "feed it". Ask God to move you to a "safe place".

You may not be in the wrong, or you may have just stayed in the tornado for a little two long for any human's health. Stress can only stay so high for so long. Hear the friend who sees your stress when you cannot see it yourself. Try. Hear what you can. They just risked their friendship...it must be pretty important. You are that valuable to them. Your witness is more important, more eternal than the risk of the frienship...they know it means that much to you, and it means that much to them. God isn't going to take anything away from you that He won't give back if it's what He wants for you. You have nothing to lose.

Give God time to refine your perspective before you push yourself too far.

Thank your friend. As soon as you can.

Accountability: A life saver. A persona killer!

Friends who value all you are...to the death, just to hold you fast.

Accountability. Find it! Offer it. Risk it. Fear it.

Some great Proverbs to support this idea of "listening to teachers" to save your life. I won't look them up here, but any good concordance will help you find them if you are curious.

Email me me with comments or questions.