Confessions of a Peace Lover...
You want to strike fear in the hearts of many...mention the word accountability! It's a very scary thing to think about.
I think for most people the word congers up a big finger pointing at you saying "you are WRONG AGAIN!" After all that's what holding someone accountable is, right? Letting them know when they're wrong? Well, if you love Webster as much as I love do you've already started to look up the word accountability. Guess what? That word is not in my dictionary, but the word accountable is. It simply means responsible...uh-oh, another word to look up...some of the meanings of responsible are: expected or obliged to account (for); answerable (to); able to distinguish between right and wrong; dependable; reliable. And since it has its roots in the word respond let's take a look at that one: to answer; reply; react.
Hmmm. This is sounding a little better all the time. Maybe we need to start calling accountability groups "reliability" or "first responder" groups. That's really what they are. A dependable, reliable person, or group of people, who are there for you, who have your best interest at heart and who trust you to reply to them in the same way.
That's what accountability has come to mean to me. Oh don't get me wrong, they will tell me if I'm wrong! Remember, Proverbs 27:6 tells us "wounds from a friend are better than many kisses from an enemy." But they also let me know when I'm right on track. And they cheer me on when I'm ready to give up. And they love me, and laugh with me, and cry with me, and rejoice with me. Since they've been here for the long haul they understand the little victories and all the work and tears and prayer that went into them.
I am a better person today, a better wife, a better mom, a better friend, because of the relationships I have that are rooted in God's word and grounded in accountability.
Does that mean I'm getting it all right, all the time? Nope, accountability isn't Heaven! But being a part of a caring group gives me the boundaries I need to help me when I get distracted and start wandering of the path God has set before me while I'm still here on earth.
So how about you...do you have people in your life who will love you when you're not feeling so loveable? Will they tell you when you're wrong? Will they rejoice with you in the big stuff AND the small stuff? Will they accept correction from you?
God doesn't want us to walk this path alone. He made us to be in fellowship, first with Him, and then with His other kids. Living in harmony, its part of the way He brings peace to our lives...even in the midst of a storm!
Until next time...
Beth
I think for most people the word congers up a big finger pointing at you saying "you are WRONG AGAIN!" After all that's what holding someone accountable is, right? Letting them know when they're wrong? Well, if you love Webster as much as I love do you've already started to look up the word accountability. Guess what? That word is not in my dictionary, but the word accountable is. It simply means responsible...uh-oh, another word to look up...some of the meanings of responsible are: expected or obliged to account (for); answerable (to); able to distinguish between right and wrong; dependable; reliable. And since it has its roots in the word respond let's take a look at that one: to answer; reply; react.
Hmmm. This is sounding a little better all the time. Maybe we need to start calling accountability groups "reliability" or "first responder" groups. That's really what they are. A dependable, reliable person, or group of people, who are there for you, who have your best interest at heart and who trust you to reply to them in the same way.
That's what accountability has come to mean to me. Oh don't get me wrong, they will tell me if I'm wrong! Remember, Proverbs 27:6 tells us "wounds from a friend are better than many kisses from an enemy." But they also let me know when I'm right on track. And they cheer me on when I'm ready to give up. And they love me, and laugh with me, and cry with me, and rejoice with me. Since they've been here for the long haul they understand the little victories and all the work and tears and prayer that went into them.
I am a better person today, a better wife, a better mom, a better friend, because of the relationships I have that are rooted in God's word and grounded in accountability.
Does that mean I'm getting it all right, all the time? Nope, accountability isn't Heaven! But being a part of a caring group gives me the boundaries I need to help me when I get distracted and start wandering of the path God has set before me while I'm still here on earth.
So how about you...do you have people in your life who will love you when you're not feeling so loveable? Will they tell you when you're wrong? Will they rejoice with you in the big stuff AND the small stuff? Will they accept correction from you?
God doesn't want us to walk this path alone. He made us to be in fellowship, first with Him, and then with His other kids. Living in harmony, its part of the way He brings peace to our lives...even in the midst of a storm!
Until next time...
Beth
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posted by Missy at
12:01 AM
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