The Wisdom of Accountability

 Over at Five Minute Friday - which is a fun writing exercise, the weekly word to write about is ACCOUNTABILITY. 

This is one of those words depending on your personality that you may view as either safe or intrusive. Accountability is an action that requires us to share, trust deeply and step into some action of transparency. It may mean exposing our weaknesses, confessing our faults and asking for help to become better. The end result, if we align ourselves wisely, brings us to a better place.

I have always loved fitness and exercise. Evening walks were a source of relaxation when I was younger. Once pregnancy and babies arrived, exercise helped me lose the baby weight. But, I was always a 'fitness loner', staying home and exercising with videos or a routine. I thought my routine was great for so many years, but the routines were not challenging, done with the same intensity, simply being something to check off my daily schedule. They helped maintain a level of health, but never increased in results.

A short time ago, I went to my first physical training session with a personal friend who is a trainer. She monitored while the exercises were performed and sweetly mentioned that my core seemed to be weak. With practical suggestions to pay attention to my core through the day, my exercises are now much more intentional and beneficial. Through our workouts, my trainer usually mentions the reminder - watch your core - and immediately we engage our core for maximum benefit. 

There is a sermon series by Andy Stanley that I absolutely love which explains the value of  Guardrails. Guardrails are “a system designed to keep something from straying into dangerous or off-limit areas.” Thousands of miles of guardrails line our roads and interstates.  Guardrails are designed with simplistic purpose. If we come in contact with them, they create a small accident to protect you from a larger incident.  We rarely pay attention to or think about guardrails until we need them. When we need or use them, they can save our lives.

To  help  us  avoid  major  regrets  in  the  future,  we  need  to  set  up  protective  guardrails  in  every  significant  area  of  our  lives.  These  guardrails  are  personal  standards  of  behavior  that  become  a  matter  of conscience.  They’ll  protect  us  from  the  “danger  zones”  of  behavior that  can  so  easily  lead  to  disastrous  consequences.

Most likely our biggest mistakes in life could have been avoided if we had guardrails steering us in the right direction. Applied to our lives, spirituality and relationships, guardrails can help guide and protect us.  Accountability, like guardrails can be a protection from destructive or devastating choices. 

Visit Guardrails for a 5 part series of sermons on this subject. 

May we be open to be accountable to others. Pray for God's wisdom and direction for someone whose life reflects the goodness of God and manifests characteristics we would like to see in our own lives. Accountability can open the door for us to be the best version of ourselves.