1 Life Your Choice

Accountability. That one word can cause grown men and women to take an anxious step back. What is it that keeps us from embracing an action that has been proven to bring success to people throughout history? I guess it comes from the from the fear that we are not going to make the cut - that someone is going to discover that we are not perfect. However, as soon as we voice these fears, we have to laugh because we know that there was only one who was ever perfect... and he had the whole "Son of God" thing working for him. The rest of us have "junk" that we deal with on a consistent basis; an idea that became a best seller for author John Ortberg - "Everybody's Normal Until You Get To Know Them" - I love that title! So, we all struggle with something; but can't we just go on in blissful denial? Can't we just pretend to be perfect and pretend others are the same? Well, not if we want to experience the life that Christ came to give. In order to experience true joy, we must choose to make accountability a part of our daily lives.

I heard it said this weekend that "People don't do what you expect but rather what you inspect". How true that is! How many people hit the brake when they see a cop on the side of the highway? How many find themselves with a new desire to workout when they have a wedding they have to attend in a few months? How many find themselves actually trying to learn the material of a class when they know there is a test on Friday? Why? Because we live up to the saying above; we know we are going to be inspected. Inspection, or accountability, is a powerfully persuasive tool. It will get you out of bed in the morning, help you open up your Bible, keep you away from destructive habits and help you spend more quality time in your relationships. So, why doesn't everyone do it? Because like anything that is worthwhile, it is not easy. Accountability requires intentionality, vulnerability and honesty - let's look a little closer at each of these:

1. Intentionality

First off, if you are going to bring accountability into you life, you have to be intentional about it. No one is going to simply come up to you and ask you to share all of your problems, hang-ups, and bad habits; it's just not going to happen. So, what do you do?

• Make a list of areas that you seem to not have success in (Diet & Exercise, Destructive Habits, Daily Quite Times, etc...).
• Seek out someone that you trust and can be honest with.
• Ask them to help keep you accountable by giving them permission to ask you weekly, or every few days, how you are doing in these areas.
• Help them understand that you are not asking them to be accountable to you (no one likes to be forced into accountability) but rather you just need someone to inspect your life regularly.

Being intentional about this process is the only way it will come into your life and thus help you overcome these problem areas.

2. Vulnerability

It is never easy to tell someone that you have missed the mark - that you haven't done what you said you were going to do. What is even worse is when someone points out a failure in your life when you haven't seemed to notice it yet. However, all of this is a part of a vulnerable accountable relationship. And if you are in one for any length of time, there will come a day when you find yourself in a vulnerable position, taking advice from someone you trust. This is not an easy process but you have to be humble enough to open your life up to constructive criticism. This is the only way you will ever learn; if that wasn't true, your life wouldn't have any problems. Yet even if you make it this far, this whole process can be totally derailed if you do not follow step 3.

3. Honesty

This seems like a pretty absurd point - of course we are going to be honest. We have been intentional about finding someone we trust; we have been vulnerable enough to tell them our faults; of course we are going to be honest. However, let me ask you a question - have you ever lied to someone you loved? Point made. We have all lied to spare someone's feelings, not be embarrassed, or to not disappoint. Though in an accountable relationship, this is not only unproductive but a waste of time. What can be worse than seeking out someone to help you with your problem areas only to add "lying to them" to the list. If you can't be honest with the person you have chosen, end the accountability - you are wasting everyone's time. Ask yourself why you couldn't be honest? If the only reason is because you were embarrassed, then get over it and begin again. Remember what we said at the beginning, everyone has things they are dealing with and the only way to overcome them is to be intentional about getting them out of your life.

I hope you will continue to make the choice to give God your Heart; Soul; Mind; Strength. And if you are having any problems in doing so, maybe accountability can help bring success!

Last night we had a treat as we heard Dan Miller, the author of "48 Days To The Work You Love", give the Meadowbrook group a shout out. He simply gave some encouraging words to all of those who are taking the "1 Life Your Choice" class, but it was fun and a very nice thing for him to do. We keep being blown away by the homework assignment that Nichole came up with a couple of weeks ago - writing down who you truly are. This is such a great exercise, and I would encourage everyone to do it, even if you never share it with anyone. Taking the time to not simply write a list of adjectives, but to actually write about who you are and why you feel you are that way is a valuable exercise. As we have found, realizing who you truly are is 85% of living a life you love.

Stay encouraged and find someone to keep you accountable. Accountability is an amazing thing! I heard it said this weekend, that people don't do what others "expect" but rather what they "inspect". When you apply this principle to your life, you begin to see the value in having one or two friends around you who will inspect your life on a consistent basis. I will talk more about this in a future blog; however, I would like to hear from you if you have accountability in your life that has made the difference in relationships, your walk with God, your business or your strength training. Have a great day and continue to make the decision to give God your Heart / Soul / Mind / Strength!