honesty, openness and accountability...

Every once in a while, an anonymous note will come my way, usually as a vehicle for a critique or complaint. Typically, I don’t take anonymous notes seriously for one fundamental reason, mainly because they demonstrate that the person sending it isn’t interested in having a conversation. In other words, they don’t want to hear your side of the issue; they only want you to hear their own. Otherwise, they'd give you the opportunity to talk about it. And so it becomes about themselves and not about 'us.' This saddens me greatly. Of all places and peoples, shouldn’t the church be the venue for openness, honesty and dialogue?

Let’s take this a little bit further and a little more personal: I would argue to say that the number one reason that folks avoid accountability in their relationship with God and others is that they want to avoid openness and honesty. Some folks just don’t want others to know who they really are, mostly for fear of rejection or lack of understanding. And those are big issues, but they must be overcome for God to do his full work in their lives. You see, just like we’ve been hearing in our worship experiences recently, there is work that God will only do in a person’s life through another believer. And to get that blessing, you have to open yourself up and let others into your real person.

Honestly, I feel sad for the anonymous note-givers and others who can’t be real with other believers. They are missing out on so much! So, who are you honest with? Who can you name who knows you to the core, who can be God’s channel of grace in your life? If you don’t have someone, you can’t wait for them to come to you; you have to seek them out. Get to know them; let trust grow. Then take the risk and open yourself up to them. Be real. Be honest so that real accountability can take place.

Because accountability can’t happen if honesty and openness is absent.