Accountability is that thing we either love or hate.
It’s the two-edged sword we choose to wield willfully or avoid at all costs. Its significance is forced on the young boy, but its shackles are loosened as he grows. At some point, he finds himself free to consider voluntary the things that were once compulsory.
But it’s not like some painful rite of passage.
Choosing to become accountable is the stuff of masculine maturity—especially if one claims to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. It becomes etched in the mind of the morally cognizant man. And one of the most rewarding ways he demonstrates that is to have his family, his friends and his God hold him accountable through the covenant of marriage.
Marital commitment is more than just a credible tradition. It’s a burden a man chooses to take upon himself, knowing that, as he does, he consummates not just the institution itself, but also God’s mandate to help secure stability in both his family and his community.
It’s a self-imposed shotgun wedding—one where he’s looking down the business end of a double-barrel Winchester as he repeats his vows.
On the other hand, if he needs to have a back door, then he’ll make sure it’s not loaded.
It’s unfortunate that the significance of a binding marriage covenant has become so marginalized today. And it’s contagious. As co-habitation becomes increasingly constrained upon an unwilling populace, tolerance begins to resonate within it.
So, how can we show the world that irrevocable commitment is the only true adhesive holding a marriage together?
Perhaps first by preventing any disrespect or contempt to thwart the best of our intentions. If you ever actually considered taking some of John Lennon’s advice, this would be the time. While love isn’t ALL YOU NEED, it’s what must be most visible to anyone watching you out of the corner of his eye.
Trust, confidence and truth will follow.
Before anyone can set the bar of accountability where it needs to be, he has to be convinced that’s it’s really there.