Accountability

So, it's that time again... it's time for the start of the 2013 A-Z challenge. I have to admit, I'm already getting a late start. It's 11 p.m. my time, but I will be more punctual tomorrow. It has just been one of those days.

A is for accountability.

Currently there seems to be an issue with quite a few people I know and accountability. I think it's really important to have someone you're accountable to. Whether it is your higher power, your significant other, your children, your parents, yourself, or maybe all of the above. I think being accountable for your actions not only makes you think before you act, it helps you grow as a person. And ultimately I think becoming the best version of yourself possible is what life is all about!! Am I right or am I right? *wink* haha

We've all made mistakes and have had to pay for them in one way or another. I think what seems to be the running trend in my life is that people don't want to be accountable for how they're treating others in regard to life decisions. Aaaaand I would like you to know I am not excluding myself from this group. It seems like it is so easy to hound someone else for a mistake they have made or are currently making, when we have ourselves made that very same mistake (or one very similar.) Being kind and understanding seems like such a better way to handle things.

I think that people sometimes get so caught up in pointing out to others what they're doing wrong, that they forget to look in the mirror. It's an easy mistake to make and one I find myself making a lot. However, I am starting to recognize this in myself and am trying to be accountable for it. I hope that in time, others in my life will start to do the same. Like you've heard a million times before... "Never judge a person until you've walked a mile in their shoes."

I really enjoy using "The Message" version of the Bible for everyday reading, so I wanted to share this passage. And then also the traditional version of this passage underneath.

"Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It's easy to see a smudge on your neighbor's face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, 'Let me wash your face for you,' when your own face is distorted by contempt? It's this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor. (Matthew 7:1-5 MSG)

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:1-5 NIV)