ACCOUNTABILITY

Are you accountable? In this nation of ours, Independence seems to be our mantra. It's the American Way! Problem with that is it's crept into our spiritual lives as well and we have become foolishly independent of God in the process.

I was well into my 30's when the concept of making myself accountable to others ever even crossed my mind. Where I went, who I was with, when I left or how much I spent... that was all MY business and nobody else's. "I'm my own man," I reasoned. As Sinatra would say, "I did it my way!"

Frankly, that mindset did not serve me well.

The Father has since taught me the advantage of allowing others access into my life. When I read about how a young, handsome Billy Graham operated with his ministry team, how Pastor Chuck Swindoll gives all his elders a copy of his itinerary every day and how Dr. James Dobson explained how he always takes his wife with him if there's another woman he needs to go to lunch with and, if that's not possible, he has that meeting at a busy restaurant on the beaten path and invites anyone he knows over and introduces the lady he's meeting with, thereby eliminating any possibilities for gossip to start with - these stories and others aided me in establishing my own boundaries for living. "Hedges," I call them.

They've served me well; in my marriage, my ministry, my finances... every aspect of my life.

For example, when I correspond with a woman by eMail, my wife gets CC'd from me. She has complete access to my computer and cell phone. When I am making an online purchase, she gets CC'd on those, too. For example, I just bought a new motor for our freezer and, when I received a confirmation, I CC'd her. If anything ever happened to me, she's in the loop. Basically, every aspect of my life is duplicated by sharing them with my wife.

What does that do for our relationship? It has increased the depth of trust and, subsequently, the depth of our intimacy. It brings peace and confidence.

When I travel. I tell her when I'm leaving and I call her when I'm headed home. She does the same with me. In this ever-darkening world, implementing such communications displays nothing but wisdom. In warfare, keeping the lines of communication open is paramount. In disaster situations, being able to communicate with the outside world is what every victim strives for. Well, as citizens of earth, we're engaged in a war - a spiritual war. It behooves us to do everything in our power to master our communication skills. 

In our church, though two of us have check-signing privileges/responsibilities, no checks are written without the unanimous agreement of all who have sown into the church. That level of accountability has served us well for over 9 years tens of thousands of dollars have gone to provide support to needy people all over the world.

In relationships, whether it's a married couple, a parent to a child, or an Employer to the staff, I recommend Gary Chapman's "Love Languages" books. Unless we're speaking the other individual's language, we may as well be speaking Chinese to a Frenchman. 

For your own good, stay in touch with one another. Whether you're across the country or across the room. Make yourself accountable. Get good at this... whether it's eMail, your calendar, the places you go on the web, the way you spend your money, it's a life-changer!

One final thought: Accountability works well with businesses and churches, groups and teams of all kinds. Worth considering!

Every blessing,

Michael Tummillo

Founder, The Church @ Work