Accountability Part 2

What does it mean to “hold someone accountable”? Last year at Catalyst ’08, I listened to Jud Wilhite and Mike Foster, authors of Deadly Viper Character Assassins talk about accountability. They talked about it being a matter of having the other’s back, not judging. What they talked about was as men traveling alone on trips for conventions and such — the temptations are there to do things they’ve vowed not to do. When one calls the other and talks about dealing with that, the hearer doesn’t say, “Well, I knew you’d get into that again.” with a heavy sigh. Instead he calls him on it, then might admit that he hadn’t been really praying for his friend while he was traveling. They pray. They agree it’s a problem. They plan to pray and keep up to date more. They have each others’ back.

I’m beginning to look at accountability rather like rearing a child. From birth we strive to grow our children into wonderful, godly, mature adults. (Sometimes, we seek only for survival, but the main goal is their maturity.) We love our child, so we protect him from running out into the street without looking. How do we do that? As a toddler, we grasp his hand and hold him back. As a child, we remind him not to do it. As he grows older, our grasp loosens, yet if he makes that dash toward the street, we don’t just sit and let the inevitable happen. We cry out. We love. We confront. We love. We talk. We love. We
encourage. We love.

Yeah. That’s where I think accountability is. It’s an issue of love. If I love my partner in ministry enough, I will help her. Sometimes that will be by prayer alone. Other times it will be confronting that issue of ___________. I will say, “Partner, I’ve noticed that you seem to be struggling with ______ again. What’s up?” Then I will love and listen, then make a plan with her. Oh, yeah, and expect the same from her towards me.

I expect her to call me on stuff that’s not right in me. For me, it usually turns  up in a critical spirit. I can find fault and point fingers with the best! But that’s not where God wants me! I need my partner to call me on that. Lovingly.

Don’t you think we all need this? If so, why don’t we do it? Have we become so complacent and so “politically correct” in the Church that we won’t call sin out? Do we think we’re helping friends and family by letting them continue where they are instead of lovingly pulling them back?

There’s an answer out there, I’m sure.

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