21 Ways To Thrive By 45عينة

Be Accountable

I needed to tell someone. I needed another human to know I was about to bite the head off a teddy bear if my son kept up the sassy defiance that marred my day. I had enough. If I kept that to myself, I feared the build-up, like plaque on my molars, would end in rot.

We’re fallible, tempted, capable of crazy antics, women. We need Jesus to redeem us from the sin that so easily entangles. A strategy that keeps us in check is accountability. In accountability we share what trips us up. We bear with one another our burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. In a symbiotic relationship, we're honest with our struggles and we shed light on the dark feelings that brew within us. We commit to prayer over each other. We validate what needs validating and speak truth to untamed feelings.

In my supper club, two friends and I share the highs and lows of our month. One particular night we each shared our parenting struggles and asked the Good Lord to help us. We cheered each other up, offered wisdom, and committed to a simple text the next time we thought we would quite literally lose our marbles over our kids. As simple as it sounds, it fostered connection and the pursuit of holiness.

It's easy to isolate ourselves in our frustration, but accountability invites vulnerability. Vulnerability invites belonging. In belonging we give and receive love. In our accountability, vulnerability, and belonging, we flourish in the fullness of God.