Sometime ago, I attended a Christian student fellowship in a small city in Hungary called Pécs. That fellowship was home to me for 3 and a half years and defined a lot of things for me. As it is with students, there are those who arrive at the start and leave at the end of a new school year. This gave us room to share different teachings. Who’s holding you accountable is one of the teachings I was opportune to share during that time.
When I was younger and just getting used to life on my own, one of my friends asked if I wanted to be accountability partners. Do you know that feeling when you don’t want to do something but someone asked, so you’re trying to find an excuse that fits so you don’t do it? That was me! I wasn’t ready then to be accountable because it would require effort I didn’t want to put in.
What exactly does accountability mean? I found this explanation that says “being accountable means to be completely responsible for what you do and able to give a satisfactory reason for it“. So I ask, who’s holding you accountable?
What are you accountable for?
In the second year of my time at the fellowship, there came a need to take up the duties of an Accountant. I was accountable for the church finances and everything that concerned it. When I look back now, it definitely wasn’t an easy task because I alone was responsible for everything. If ever, anything went missing, I could be held responsible to give an explanation.
In your various capacities, you’re accountable for your actions. What you do, how you do it and why you do it, all of those are yours to account for. In Matthew 12:36, Jesus tells you and I that ‘for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment‘. As a plus, you’re also accountable for your words.
Who do you think is capable of holding you accountable? You don’t have to give an immediate answer, just hold the thought. There are various instances in the book of Genesis where you see God give instructions to both Abraham (Gen 22:1-12) and Adam (Gen 2:16-17 and Gen 3:9-12). Eventually, God did hold Abraham and Adam accountable for their actions.
Why should you have someone to be accountable to?
According to Proverbs 27:17, As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. There’s another verse I really like, that says, Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counsellors there is safety. (Proverbs 11:14)
It’s easy to slip when the only person holding you accountable, is you. How do you know if you’re going back to ways you’ve sworn off? When you have people who hold you accountable, it is easy to see from their perspective and change what needs it.
Don’t forget that not everyone is eligible to be an accountability partner. There are certain qualities I have singled out that are needed constantly. For every accountability partner, the fear of God is a necessity. Proverbs 9:10 says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
The next quality is the ability to discern. Discernment means to judge people and things well (Cambridge Dictionary). Third and last quality, someone who will tell you the truth always. Now, the person you thought of to hold you accountable, who is it? Does the person fit the criteria?
You know the people around you and who fits the criteria. The main question now is Are you willing to be accountable to someone?
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