According to the AI review and Google, the best definition of accountability is “the obligation of an individual or organization to accept responsibility for their actions, decisions, and outcomes.” It also goes on to state about “owning up to mistakes” and to “being open and honest about both successes and failures”. While I didn’t give all of what was stated, this definition appears to lean more towards business. However, I really think that it should be looked at in the terms of who we are personally and in taking an accounting of what we give to the world of our inner self, so to speak.
I’ve seen postings by people who go online and say things that are harmful and hurtful to and about others. While you may consider yourself to be somewhat anonymous and can hide your true identity from others, remember, always, that you can’t hide from God. Whether you believe that He is real or not, what’s in your heart is known by our God. Beware of what you do and how you come across to Him as well as to those around you and online. What you are exposing is not a flattering picture of yourself to ANYONE.
I think, know, and have observed that the hardest thing to face in our human nature is our ability to be open and honest with ourselves and the faults that we have such a huge difficulty in admitting. I like to call it “looking within” when we are being held accountable for what we do or especially what we fail to do. It looks and smells like failure when we have to admit to ourselves and more, the world, that we did or said something that we shouldn’t have or that was hurtful to others. It doesn’t have to continue to be that way, though. The difference is a matter of making a better choice in the future.
There can be something very freeing when we begin to hold our own standards a little higher for ourselves. When we look within and see that “No, I’m flawed and I was quick to judge or speak or act before I listened carefully to the full story.” We ALL do that but the difference is when you can admit it, not just to yourself but to others, then it ceases to be something bad or dirty and instead turns into something that can help you to grow and learn and become better in the future. That’s something that we all want, right? We can’t control or fix our past but we sure can turn the page and learn from our past mistakes. In that way, the past has lost it’s power over you. (Related post: My dad always said that “You can’t woulda, shoulda, coulda…..” )
What did I learn from this? Taking accountability for what you did or said in the past can certainly be a humbling experience. However you look at it, it’s really about growth as an individual and becoming something better in the long run. Yes, it can be painful yet it can also be enlightening at the same time, if you let it.
I’m not in the same space that I was when I was younger. I had difficulty accepting when someone told me something about myself that wasn’t complimentary. It did, however, make me stop and think about how I could become a better version of myself that our God could be proud of. It was certainly about starting a new chapter in my book of life. For me now, it’s more about taking that growth and sharing it with others so that maybe they can learn from my experiences and they can see themselves in my story, as well. (Related post: Adjust…. Accordingly)
So, what can you learn from this? A better question is, what do you want to learn from this? Do you want to be a better person? A nicer friend? Someone that others want to know? Someone that others can look up to?
Whatever that question is, consider that change takes growth and growth doesn’t always come easily. It shouldn’t come easily because you would never really grow from the experience, otherwise. Ponder that for a little while and think about the areas in your life where you can afford to grow a little or even a whole lot. I don’t think that you will be sorry when that growth happens. I can pretty much guarantee that! (Related post: A New Chapter in the Book of Life)
A Joyful Mission 