Is Accountability a Dirty Word? Part 1

Do you like to be held accountable? Many people don't. When I think of accountability it reminds me of an exam at school. When taking an exam you are being held accountable for the information your professor has given. To be honest it doesn't really bring back too many happy feelings.

In Christian circles accountability has become synonymous with having a person or persons in your life with whom you share your sin. Somehow the pain of having to tell your "accountability partners" is motivation to stop doing whatever is bad.

I have a friend who is pretty vulnerable in her life but says, "I don't believe in accountability". To be honest I'm tempted to side with her. Most of time these groups are inconsistent and there isn't enough depth of relationship for true intimacy and vulnerability. Maybe there's a list of questions asked of each person that may or may not be answered honestly. At the end of the day there's not movement towards loving Jesus and others more. And isn't that the goal?

I'm a life long struggler with sin. Pride, lust, selfishness are all part of my daily walk. By God's grace sometimes I walk in holiness and these struggles seem distant. Other times they're as close as my shadow.

The other day I was struggling in one of these areas. I called a friend (an accountability partner) and shared what was going on in my life. I know, it doesn't seem like that big of a deal, but after we spoke and he encouraged me, my whole perspective changed. It reminded me that God never intended for us to take this journey alone.

So, to my friend who doesn't believe in accountability groups I want to say that maybe she's never seen accountability done well. Over the next couple of days I want to share some lessons I've learned from experience and others on this topic. There is no telling where I might be if I hadn't had Matt, Joe, David, Rick August, David, Tony, Bryan and Jason and others in my life at different times.

It's important. If you have input or concern I would love for you to share. It would be great to have the collective wisdom and experience of others chime in to this discussion.