Accountability is Good

I’m realizing that I like being held accountable.   Currently I am in two online accountability groups:  one for my daily walk with God and one for my fitness and nutrition.  Now, in both of these areas, I feel like I know what to do. But unless I am sharing with others whether or not I did what I know to do, I find that I am not doing it as well as I could be.

[Okay, I realize that last sentence sounded a bit like Paul's "the good I want to do, I don't do and the evil I don't want to do is what I do (my paraphrase)."]

What is it about accountability that makes such a difference?  I wonder if it’s the competitive side of me–I hope not.  Maybe it’s the truth that I don’t want to walk alone in my life.   I want someone else to be involved in my life, whether I’m going good or not, especially in these two areas.

The first accountability group is the Nine O’Clock Club.  It is a weekly blog where the members of the club post how many days in the past week we spent a minimum of 1/2 hour in communion with God in some way–the goal is an hour!  It’s a “walled garden,” so we can be open and honest with each other and our individual struggles and successes in the pursuit of the Holy God.  (Let me know if you want to join with us.)

The other one is an email group.  We are each tracking our caloric intake and exercise as well as our weekly weigh-ins.  Not all of us are seeking to lose weight, but whatever the goal is for each person, we are supporting one another.  It is amazing how fast I can lose a pound (or more) a week when I am being intentional about what I am eating and how much exercise I am doing.   I am finding that the choices I make are changing, based on how many calories I want to allot for each meal/snack.  I’m also shocked at just how many calories are in two tablespoons of maple syrup!!!

So, long story short, accountability is good!  Scripture supports this throughout the old and new testaments.  It might be fun to ask you to respond with what scriptures you can find that talk about this aspect of our lives.  Want to give that a go?

Respond to this post with the verse that comes to mind regarding this topic.