Daily Accountability- From the Mouth of a Child

I have a six year old who has been keeping me accountable since he could speak. Does anyone else have a kid like that?! He throws my own one liners right back at me!

One of my accountability partners!

“Mommy, don’t say stupid.”

“You can do it mom, we do hard things!”

And an all-time favorite... he used this line on me less than an hour after I used it on his brother “Mommy, I know! Why don’t you just make a better choice and change your attitude”

Through gritted teeth and with a hint of sarcasm this 4-year old wasn’t quite picking up on, I replied “Yes son, that is a great idea! I should just make a better choice… you are right.”

Sometimes it can be so frustrating when I have to take my own advice. The worst part about taking my own advice is that I give A LOT of advice. Coaching 20 college-age women realistically includes being a fitness coach, therapist, manager, and team developer wrapped into one role. I give advice on academics, careers, fitness, sleep, health, emotional wellness, habit forming, conflict resolution, time management, mental toughness, identity, and overall worthiness. In my other life roles of mom, pastor, and pastor’s wife I can get asked some of the most interesting questions on the widest variety of topics as well.  

To “practice what you preach” really becomes a challenge when the people you are “preaching” (in both actions and words) to the people see you in some of the most vulnerable and intense moments of life. The people I “preach” to most in my life are my children and athletes. The fun part about that is I let them all keep me accountable, as you have seen already.  My athletes see my reactions live time when I am angry, upset, disregarded by an official, or experiencing loss and failure. My kids see so many of the unfiltered parts of life too. Truth is, we all have a group of people, big or small, that has a pretty close seat on how we respond and react to adversity. This is bigger than putting up the right posts on instagram, this is the real things of life. The tiny things we do everyday that become habits and character traits. The real challenge then is to be the person God made us to be weather we are at work, home, the gym, or a private room. Integrity is aligning our word and deed...all… the...time, and that is no small task

I am so passionate about this because it can impact the lives of SO many people. Living in integrity is usually VERY difficult for the person who chooses to do it. In fact, it usually causes great sacrifice and even pain. But to the people who see you- your children, your direct reports, peers, friends, bosses, and community at large- it changes them and even how they see the world. The Bible is pretty clear, “You will know them by their fruits” (Mat 7:15, NIV) and “everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35, NIV). How we act on a daily basis will be how we are known, remembered, and how we portray God to others. I will spend the rest of my life aligning my word and deed to the authority of Jesus Christ, and ultimately my joy is walking with others as they do the same. Its not easy, but its so worth it. Lets take our words and make them our deeds.