Tattle-Tale!
Almost on a daily basis at my house I hear these types of wailing’s
“Mommy, Zoe took my toy”
“Mom, Ezra got into my bookshelf again”
“Mom, Xander hit me!”
“Mommy, Ezzie’s coloring on the wall.”
Over and over again, I have to be the judge and jury on a plethora of infractions that the kids deem important. Just yesterday, when Raylee complained that Xander hit her, my first instinct was to reply “go hit him back!” Some times I get so exasperated with having to listen to all the tattling. I am exhausted by having to teach the “right from wrong” all the time. For my kids, I am their accountability partner. When my kids come to me to tell on their siblings, they are hoping that I will hold the other child accountable for their actions.
When I started this thinking about accountability, I wanted to explore two questions:
#1 Who is your accountability partner? and #2 Are you a good accountability partner for those around you?
I am just going to address the first question in the post today.
So, Who is your accountability partner?
Kids often tattle, to keep others accountable for their actions, but who do adults use?
Myself, I have my husband, who is all too willing to show me the err of my ways. And, living in a small town, you can’t really get away with anything! People who exercise do so much better when they have a group working with them, keeping them accountable for being there. In the working world, we all have bosses that keep us accountable to the “bottom line” and making us follow the rules, then doling out the punishment when we don’t follow those rules. Everyone is accountable to someone.
Who do you have? If you don’t show up for church on Sunday morning, who calls you? That would be an accountability partner. If you are prone to cheat on your diet, invite a friend to lunch with you. A friend that will order salad with you. That is an accountability partner. If you have trouble exercising, try Zumba, there’s a whole room full of accountability partners there! Need help remembering to pray? Tell your kids! They LOVE to tattle, and telling on mommy and daddy for not saying bed time prayers makes them laugh. Need to do more Bible study (I know I do) – volunteer to teach a class at church. You are now accountable to a class every Sunday.
The trick is to find someone that is going to tattle on you, and make them your best friend.
Pick a friend that you don’t mind hearing the “hard truth” from, and the first time they hold you accountable for something you did (or didn’t) do, be grateful, not angry.
Who is your accountability partner?
Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.