accountability...

I'm a huge fan of accountability. I'm not sure I'd qualify as an expert and I'm not sure I even have any perfect examples of structured accountability in my own life, but I'm a big promoter.

I believe it is crucial to surround yourself with people who will encourage you and set you straight... sometimes in the same sentence. I'm guessing one of the more popular scriptures used for accountability is from Galatians 6, but I stumbled onto a reminder in 1 Thessalonians 5 I like. Verses 14-22: "And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil."

I think this is one of those passages that can be misused. The first part of verse 14 alone could have a bunch of busybodies running around warning all of the lazy crew how they're sinning. Instead, Paul goes on with more instructions that make the job a little more delicate. We're to warn, encourage, help and be patient all in one sentence. I think that's the epitome of accountability without ever saying the word.

I'm not sure what accountability looks like in the best case scenario. I don't have a weekly confession session with a friend over coffee while we pray for each other (I am a fan of praying for my friends even when it weirds them out :). I'm sure that works for some people, and maybe I should give it a fair shot... but in the meantime I have tried to surround myself with people I trust will tell me the truth. I want people who can warn, encourage, help and be patient all at the same time. I don't really need friends who are just there to agree with me. I want people who will challenge me.

I'm not sure it's "natural" to tell your friend he/she is screwing up. And I really don't think it's "natural" to smile and take it when your friend tells you you're screwing up. It takes a special friendship to reach a point where you can give and take criticism and know it's coming from a good place. At the same time, I think we're called to something more than just being teammates or gossip buddies. I think God has called us to something more than, "he/she's not hurting me so we're good." I want it to hurt me when my friend is hurting someone else or himself/herself.

My favorite technique... ask questions. We're all less threatened by questions as opposed to a critical observation. Give me a chance to figure out what I'm screwing up before you lambast me for it. A question lets me process it and ask for your opinion when I'm ready. Don't get me wrong... sometimes people are still oblivious and you have to spell it out... or sometimes you still hit a nerve that makes people defensive or bitter. Regardless... keep praying and work on those other hints... encourage, help and be patient when the warning doesn't go so well. It's a package deal.

landmark eve...

Tomorrow's the big day. I'm set to embark on a new career... or maybe an extension of my career. This entire summer has felt like I've been getting reacquainted with being uncomfortable. I had to brush off the dust of my resume... stuttered through some interviews... and tomorrow get to experience a "first day of work"for the first time in six years.

There's something unsettling about putting yourself out there... listing everything you've done on a sheet of paper (or more depending on which job search advice you take) and letting people evaluate you. If you're fortunate enough to get a response, you try to prepare for any number of questions during a series of interviews. At the same time they're interviewing you, you're interviewing them and everyone is trying to size the other up to see if this is a good fit. There is a huge sense of relief and excitement once everyone decides they like each another to hire and be hired. And then you actually go to work.

Since accepting the new job, I've had a ton of questions about it. What are you going to be doing? What are your hours like? Is it like what you were doing? What were  you doing again? I don't know all of the answers... or it seems at least I can't answer them well enough. I have a general idea... I've worked with someone who has done my job. In reality, I'm resting in the faith the search committee has placed in me to do the job. I'm sure there will be plenty of awkward or at least uncomfortable moments as I have to ask stupid rookie questions or work twice as long to complete something that will hopefully be quicker in a year. I've resigned myself to the fact I will make mistakes... but I'm also confident my years of experience in mistake-making have prepared me to fix them efficiently and without too much destruction!

I had a busy (and sometimes stressful) month transitioning and I'm not naive enough to think the transition is over, but I am anxious to get started on this new adventure. Here goes something more than nothing but not quite everything!