Accountability is about being responsible for the choices you make. Our integrity usually motivates us to be accountable for obeying the law or doing our job correctly, but often we need someone to help us stay accountable for our personal choices as well.
Years ago, I use to watch a show called Grey's Anatomy. You may have heard of it. The main character, Meredith Grey, had a best friend that she counted on being "her person". The person she could depend on, cry to, laugh with, and continue to grow with. I loved the way the characters held each other accountable for choices they made throughout the seasons. They didn't shy away from giving the hard truth. And they didn't miss an opportunity to build each other up.
If you have a person like this in your life, consider yourself lucky. Keep them close and continue to encourage and support them. (
1 Thessalonians 5:11 "Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.") There are so many things in our lives that we need to be held accountable for. Some out of necessity and some out of personal choices. Maybe you have different people to help you with different aspects of your life. Hold tight to whatever works best to help keep you accountable to be the person you want to be.
At school, children are held accountable by their teachers. Teachers help students realize the importance of completing assignments in a timely fashion. This prepares them for the real world when they no longer have a teacher, but now a boss. Your boss will hold you accountable for completing your tasks quickly and efficiently. If you fail too many times, it could cost you your job. But who holds you accountable for the rest of your life choices?
In my life, I've struggled with being accountable for a clean house, eating healthy, reading my Bible, and attending church. These things are easy to dismiss. They can wait until later. Later won't make a difference. But as I got older, I found people who wanted the same things out of life. They helped hold me accountable, even if sometimes they didn't realize it.
When you are a mom of young kids, keeping a clean house is nearly impossible. Try as you may, it rarely happens. And when it does, it doesn't stay that way for long. However, messy and me don't mixed very well and I began feeling uncomfortable in my own house, but didn't realize it. Inviting friends over for play dates was a way to hold myself accountable for a clean house. Because there was no way I was inviting people over to witness my tornado impacted home.
Eating healthy is something many of us struggle with. Many of us have found success with Weight Watchers, or something similar. This is because the program holds us accountable. If you are going to weigh in each week in front of others, you don't want to be the one who has numbers going in the wrong direction. For me, it is a struggle to motivate myself to work out. I use to love it, but as I've gotten older, it feels like a chore. My husband, however, holds me accountable and helps motivate me to get to the gym.
Perhaps most importantly, if you struggle with motivation to attend church or read the Bible, find someone to help hold you accountable. For a long time, my husband and I used living in a foreign country as an excuse to not attend services. We said it was okay because we still believed and still talked to our girls about God and Jesus. But as the years went by, our bible reading time and discussions began to dwindle. With this we grew more anxious and hopeless about every situation. We felt isolated. Since returning to the states in January, we've begun attending church regularly. We've also resumed our morning and evening Bible studies. The result is our faith has been renewed. We no longer feel isolated and alone. And we now hold each other accountable. We continue to encourage one another.
Do you have "a person" in your life that holds you accountable? Do you help keep that person motivated in return?
Grab a latte, put up your feet, and join the discussion!
