keeping each other accountable

8/20/08

I am contemplating ways to keep a certain sister-in-Christ of mine accountable. We have had several discussions over the past couple of years about keeping each other accountable for various things: me being respectful and submissive to my husband, she being more honest w/her husband regarding money, us eating more healthfully and exercising to lose weight, and most recently; to study a verse a night (or every other night now) in Proverbs. This started at the beginning of July. We are doing this with "another" sister-in-Christ. Three of us, to study a verse a night, and we all agreed to read it, read a commentary on it, and give our $.02 worth on what it said or meant to each one of us. I fully expected to be blown out of the water by the other 2 ladies. I can only do any real reading or studying when my 2 little boys are asleep at night, so I am usually doing it between 10pm and midnight. I am not complaining, I have been thrilled, and grateful at the thought that I might be "kept accountable," to do it. However, as it turns out, I am the only consistent one doing it. The "other" sister-in-Christ does pretty good at reading for herself and on occasion commenting. The sister-in-Christ I am referring to has admitted to not only not participating regularly, but pretty much not at all. She told me that I had a right to be mad at her. Which got me thinking, again, how can I keep her accountable/we keep each other accountable? She and I have discussed, in the past, ways to keep each other accountable. We never came up w/a way that worked. How do you keep one another accountable? The "other" sister-in-Christ has suggested that all you can really do is walk along beside them spiritually and pray for them and with them. However, I would like to explore some other options that might, lets say, have a more worldly influence. I told her I was going to give her a good tongue lashing tonight, she asked me to wait until tomorrow as she had already had one today. (Tongue lashings haven't worked with my husband so I am not holding my breath on that one.) I told her I could spank her and send her to her room because I just didn't know what else to do with her. (Sadly, altho she wouldn't like a spanking, she might just endure it for the respite of being sent to her room, alone, no children, no responsibilities.) We both laughed. I could show up at her door-step every other day and wait there until I have witnessed her read and comment on that days verse. (With gas prices as high as they are and our family on 1 income, that's not going to happen.) OR, I could walk along side her spiritually and pray for her fervently and honestly and often and pray with her regularly. Sound familiar?

So, all that to say this to my you-know-who-you-are-sister-in-Christ; I love you like a sister, I respect you as a believer (not necessarily every decision you make), and feel for you like a mother to a child. You are not holding up your end of this "keeping each other accountable" thing. I know you are busy, more busy than I in 3-going-on-4 respects. However, I need you. And that should be enough for you to participate. I never, well almost never, ask anything from you. You know you will benefit from this if you participate. So, I am committing to you, right now, that I will do my best to walk along side of you spiritually, pray for you regularly, and pray with you every day, if you will let me, beginning tomorrow (well, today since it's past midnight). I want US to walk with God together. I have needed you in the past, will probably need you in the future (like when my husbands job status is uncertain and I begin to try and play God instead of letting go and letting God), and I am here for you now. :) I will call you later this morning, hopefully you will have read this first.