Accountability

Through the course of a day many thoughts penetrate the mind, with some lasting but mere moments while others linger on for extended periods of time.  Is it ever possible for one to have a completely idle mind with no thoughts or activities to occupy it?  I’ve never heard of such a thing and of course I’m referring to individuals who are awake and aware of their surroundings.  Okay, was that an oxymoron?  I mean, if you’re aware of your surroundings does that not occupy your mind?  Getting back to the topic at hand about thoughts penetrating your mind, this may go on during physical activities that don’t require mental concentration, as well as during times of physical idleness.  What is it that causes us to have thoughts?

Of course there are many triggers that will bring thoughts to the fore front of our psyche.  We witness specific activities that may conjure up memories we enjoy pondering.  Perhaps we had a dream the night before and we try to figure out its meaning, or was it just the pepperoni pizza I ate before bedtime?  We heard something new, impelling us to weigh the pros and cons to determine its merit.  Well, I don’t mean to insult your intelligence by stating the obvious, for surely you are aware of the thought processes – at least from a practical standpoint.  To get into the physiological science involved would be out of my league for discussion, and that, of course, is not the intent of my musings and quite frankly really of no interest to me at this time.

Is this really worth bringing up to try and wax eloquently about?  Well, during the course of the evening, actually night, many thoughts were making their way through the labyrinth of my mind in hopes it would land on something noteworthy.  One thought that sat for a spell was concerning accountability.  What does it mean to be accountable and what purpose does it serve?  Some synonyms for accountability are:  responsibility, answerability, liability.  This would mean we are to be accountable for our own behaviors and choices, and all too often people want to play the “blame game” rather than take responsibility for their own actions.  Does this infer they are to be accountable to someone other than themselves?  This may be another can of worms that just opened.

The laws which govern us make us accountable to them and when ignored consequences are enacted to remedy the infraction against society.  But what about being accountable to one another?  What is the requirement for that, if any, or is it a matter of voluntary agreement?  Under what circumstances might we choose for such an agreement?  Under what situations, if any, would it be advisable not to make yourself accountable to another?  What may be the pros and cons to being accountable to others?  We do have the ultimate accountability and that is to God.  Which brings up one other question:  if we are accountable to God, then are we to be accountable to others, as well?

There can be many considerations about this, but one that comes to mind is when being accountable to another person then we are relying on the capability of the other person to be in that position.  In other words, are they reliable to provide proper input and guidance to assist us on the right path?  Knowing that I’m accountable to God requires that I know how to conduct my life in accordance to His instructions and to walk in obedience to that.  If I have strong inclinations that I’m sensing He’s leading me in a certain direction, not contrary to His Word (instructions) then I must adhere to that and not be swayed by others who would have contrary input.  With that in mind, when is it wise or safe to place ourselves under someone to provide wise counsel?   We must be accountable in all our decisions and actions, be they right or wrong.  Here’s hoping each of us will account to something good.

Shalom.