Is the Prime Minister of the country I live in responsible for inability of Southwest Trains to run trains on time? Should I feel accountable when someone who works in my organizations on the other side of the world says something that is out of sync with our vision and mission? Is accountability a principle that was has already been sacrificed on the altar of individual freedom of expression and living?
Underlying each of these questions is a conundrum. At what point does the span of our influence and accountability end? If I am single am I responsible for anyone other than myself? If I have a family does it end at the door to the house? At what age do the young adults also known as my children take on their own mantle and I lose theirs?
Each question applies to God and to anyone that interacts or has a relationship with the Divine. What about evil in this world? If you claim credit for beauty and wonder can’t you at least explain pain and death? Accountability would be good since I hear that God is in control! If there was any doubt God’s own questions affirm that the questions extend from and to us.
“But why do you let that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet mislead my dear servants into Cross-denying, self-indulging religion?” (Revelation 2.19)
The answers and key lie in understanding what we are being called to account for. My family has the freedom to take a full range of decision, it is actually a responsibility. At the same time I carry a call to model God to the fullest extent the Spirit gives me power. This includes mercy, compassion, and love. Also on the docket are tough love calls of account and clarity. No one should wonder where God stands and is. We carry the call to convey experientially the reality and actions of compassion, the continuous touch of mercy, and the unlimited willingness to accept unconditionally. Our span is Spirit guided, without limits or boundaries because it is life itself.
