Community and Accountability191How to Keep Others Accountable in a Healthy Way
Group accountability can be a bit of a dance. Just as it’s
important to know ourselves before building a new routine,
it’s important to be willing to learn about each person we are
inviting into this journey. Some people need a lot of detailed
accountability, while others simply need reminders and inspi-
ration. Take the time to figure out where each group member
lands on that spectrum.
When I was in college, I was part of an accountability
group that was pretty hardcore. If we didn’t do what we said
we were going to do, we had to clean someone else’s college
apartment bathroom. Granted, we were a group of girls, so it
wasn’t as bad as some college apartment bathrooms, but it was
still some serious accountability.
I also had a friend who came to know the Lord when she
was in her early twenties. She grew up in a small country in
eastern Europe. She was so excited about her faith and her
growing walk with God that she and her friends committed
to giving one another their entire salary for that week if they
didn’t do what they said they would do.
Now that is serious.
Please hear me: you don’t need to do that. I don’t even
recommend it. But I want you to understand the heart behind
it. She grew up never hearing about Jesus, and when she came
to know Him, her life changed. She was deeply determined to
live fully for Him, no matter what it took.
Most of you won’t need that level of accountability. Some
of you might need to hire a life coach or a counselor to stay
accountable and to do so in a healthy way.
The goal here isn’t to be super intense or sacrifice the most.