The Accountability Factor
Good Morning Girls! As much as I am in fact willing to share with others personal things about myself, I am also a big believer in discretion. I do not tell just anybody anything. My motive for sharing my life is always to encourage others. There are often times I need to discern what information is helpful, and what is not. I often advise others not to tell friends and family everything they are doing, unless they know for sure they will receive nothing but unconditional support. Other people can unknowingly be a wet blanket on the fire the Lord has put in your heart. It is good to have 1 or 2 people you can trust to go to and share your heart with, especially when you are taking steps to improve an area of your life. And then there are times when you have had enough. You have tried to change and repeatedly have fallen. It is time to draw a line in the sand and say "that's it"! Those are the times when the "Accountability Factor" come into play. What is the Accountability Factor? The Accountability Factor is when you tell the key people in your life what you are doing. It is when you say "I have had enough. I am making a change. I am doing (or quitting) XYZ. If you see me not doing(or doing)XYZ you have permission to call me out. You have every right to say Jen- you told me you were doing this- now do it". And then, when someone calls you out, you need to listen to them, and not get mad at them. There is still some discernment involved. For example, I still do not tell my family (parents and siblings), what I am doing, because they know me, have seen me fall flat, and as much as they love me, they somehow manage to say the wrong thing at the wrong time. They don't mean to, they just don't get it. There are also times when my husband is the best accountability coach I could ask for, and times when I would most likely want to strangle him if he were to offer me words of wisdom. You still need to know who to have help keep you accountable. For example, if I were trying to quit smoking, I would not have my "smoking friends" be my support. They will not want you to quit. You should tell those who are like minded. Those who are a step ahead of you. Those who you look up to, and would hate to disappoint. The great thing about your "team", is that they are effective even when they are not around. Let me give you an example. I prefer working out first thing in the morning. My energy is highest, and I like starting my day by doing something for myself. Some days, I wake up and I just don't feel like it. Yesterday was one of those days. I felt like garbage. I was dragging all morning, and before I knew it, my kids were up, and it was time to head to soccer. I grabbed my gym bag and planned to go to the Y after soccer. Somehow, (subconsciously I suppose) I forgot my running shoes. All day I had my workout hanging over my head. It just never seemed like the right time. Now, I understand that there are days when life gets in the way and I just may miss a workout. However, I had just taken Saturday and Sunday off, and I knew that if I missed Tuesday, it would send my week downhill. How could I blog about discipline having missed another workout. You see, you all would have had no idea that I didn't work out, but I would. It would haunt me when I tried to sleep. It would interfere with my morning message. It would make me want pancakes instead of protein this morning. Crazy I know, but it's the truth. So you, my Accountability Girls, are what had me working out last night at 9pm. Not just working out mindlessly, but working out hard. Knowing you would be looking for a fresh Word today, kept me true to myself last night. And that, my friends, is the benefit of the Accountability Factor!
1 Corinthians 9:27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.
Love you all
Jen
1 Corinthians 9:27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.
Love you all
Jen
Great entry today, Jen! You are so inspiring. The Lord has given me the word "discernment" in the past year and I've been learning lots of lessons around that. Everything you said today is right where I am at. And thanks for sharing the verse for today - I was toying around with not working out today, too, but I guess my "mind" was just made up for me!
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I know the feeling. I'm dragging my feet this morning. I am going to go work out right nowwwwwwwwwww
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