“In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
Judges 21:25
Friday mornings, they swept in like the first cool September breath of fall, breaking the stronghold of the sweltering heat of summer. It was quality time those mornings that we met. Usually, before we began, my particular routine would start by removing the fog of sleep from my head with a cup of coffee and then shuffling around the house (shared with my twin brother–the one standing middle back in the image above) to get ready for the boys to arrive. I looked forward to our weekly times that we ultimately called P-PAC (Prayer, Praise, Accountability, & Coffee).
Our routine was simple; we gathered, sharpened, and sought the Lord together. It wasn’t snazzy, but it was significant. Looking back, it was a crucial marker in my latter college days of the type of godly community God had provided for me in a transitional season of my life, as well as one to aspire to for the rest of my life.
While we had others drop in and out of the group, six of us stood together and continued developing our friendship, enjoying it even to this day.
Twenty-some-odd years later, we stay in touch, pray for one another, text funny memes, and regularly meet via video conferencing. Finally, we met in person last weekend to continue building each other up. The image above is the aftermath of our Saturday AM workout routine just before we continued our individual updates on the particulars of our personal, spiritual, and professional lives.
Looking back, I can give many words to how the Lord used this group (and still uses it) to cultivate and inspire me to be a godly man; however, one word comes immediately to mind: accountability.
What Does Accountability Have to Do With The Heart of a Leader?
The image below is us finishing our workout routine with a 400-meter out-and-back farmer’s carry. I had never heard of a farmer’s carry, much less attempted to try one. Needless to say, it was humbling and invigorating.
This past weekend–sharing, praying, and farmer’s carry and all–reminded me of how powerful and indispensable accountability is for leaders.
The Book of Proverbs sheds light on the recklessness of one who runs from accountability “He who separates himself seeks his own desire, he quarrels against all sound wisdom” Proverbs 18:1. This verse hits hard to a few leaders out there, but not most of them.
I would argue that most aspiring leaders don’t fall into a “Jeremiah Johnson” leadership style (living alone in the wilds of Montana). Instead, I believe most leaders run the course in the Book of Judges. “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes” Judges 21:25. Those ancient Israelites were often leaderless and therefore fell prey to the temptation of self-preservation and the lure of their pagan neighbors. Bloodshed, idolatry, barbarism, and near genocide were the pattern of the nearly 350-year stretch in Israel’s history. It was not pretty. Their lives were steered by desire and passion, without checks and balances. They were together but ran amok.
Those early followers of God were like anchorless ships tossed in the sea because they were not accountable to anyone but themselves. And just like the Israelites of old, leaders without accountability driven by passion and recklessness run the high risk of crashing against the rocks of pride instead of sailing home through the waters of authenticity to the harbors of humility.
How Does This Apply To Us Today?
Leadership implies accountability because…
- We are not made for isolation but for community.
- Hebrews 10:24-25 “…and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”
- Community is hard, but it humbles. It teaches us that Christ’s body is diverse and varied. We play a part, but we’re not the only part. Often, community feels forced (and it often is), but that doesn’t make it not worth pursuing. The key to community is balancing intentionality and time. You can’t have godly community with everyone, but you should be able to find it with a few.
- We need it to see in 360 degrees because sin’s appeal is too strong, and we alone are too weak.
- Galatians 6:1 “Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.”
- Temptation from the evil one incubated in the petri dish of life without accountability grows at rates beyond comprehension. Accountability from trusted friends enables one to fight sin and inspires others to fight alongside you.
- We need it to be encouraged.
- Ephesians 4:29 “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”
- Life is too challenging, broken, and unpredictable to go at it alone. Accountability invigorates the soul, breathing life into withering hearts and light into dark lands. That is to say, good words rightly placed from someone who knows you do more to lift your spirit than anything money can buy.
Who is holding you accountable? Who are you accountable to? It’s hard to be authentic with people, and we shouldn’t be with everyone. However, leaders know that part of leading as Christ leads is being willing to avail themselves of genuine accountability so that Christlikeness may be produced more and more in their lives.
“Iron sharpens iron,
So one man sharpens another.”
Proverbs 27:17
— August 10, 2023