ACCOUNTABILITY

My friend, Sandy, came in to my office this morning to talk to me about some things she has been a bit concerned about. She wondered about how a decision I have made will impact my daughter and I. She wondered how our faith will be affected. She wondered if I was perhaps embracing concepts that would lead me from God and not closer to Him. I love that she did that! You see, Sandy knows me better than most. We have shared the ups and downs of life together. She knows my strengths and she knows my weaknesses. She is truly concerned about my welfare and that of my daughter's. I trust Sandy. I like that she brought the issue to light and both talked and listened. I know that if I veer off the path, Sandy will not let me wander. That is because she loves me.

Last week my daughter talked to me about the way I had communicated in a group. She told me that she knew I wasn't trying to be argumentative, but that my voice needed to be gentle so other people would know that as well. I love that she told me that! She knows me the best. She reads my moods and tolerates my idiosyncrasies. She sees first hand my struggles and my inconsistencies, as well as my blessings and victories. We are each other's biggest fan. And because I know she loves me, when she tells me these kind of things...I pay attention.

I used to take accountability lightly. I used to laugh and say, "If you are going to tell me something, you better say it and run because I am going respond first and listen later!" While there is a little of that left in me still, I have learned to value accountability, even if I don't always like it. The people who speak into my life, like Sandy and my daughter, are people that I respect. They are people who love God and work hard to bring Him honor and glory in their own lives. They are people who listen when they are on the other end of accountability. And they are people who live out the love of Christ for others, in the day to day.

Accountability....it is just one of the ways I am loved.