“So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.”
– Romans 14:12

“What are you doing!” When coach asked that very loud question, each player in the room prayed his name wouldn’t be spoken in the next sentence. “What in the world were you thinking Charlie?” All the air that had been sucked out of the room with the first question was now replaced by every player not named Charlie. For anyone who has ever been in that position, you know what’s coming next. Coach runs the play over and over again, much to the delight of Charlie’s teammates. It’s not that nobody likes Charlie, it just happens to be Charlie’s turn to learn about accountability. Each player had sat where Charlie was sitting or they would be sometime in the future. There will be times in our lives when there is no place to hide. Charlie’s time had come! There are many valuable lessons taught on athletic fields and courts that are transferable to living healthy and productive lives away from the game. Learning to hold yourself accountable is one of the most important.

Writer John Leo says, “You can’t run a society or cope with its problems if people are not held accountable for what they do.” One of the greatest losses in today’s world is the lack of personal accountability. How easy it is to blame someone else for the bad choices we make. How easy it is to allow ourselves to become victims of our circumstances. As Charlie slumped in his seat repeatedly watching his mistakes, he learned and he grew. The film never lies! It’s important to understand that there will come a time when each of us will stand before God and watch the film of our life play out. Our name will be called and there will be no place to hide. We will have to accept responsibility for our life choices. God will be the judge and His verdict will be final. There will be no do overs. Until that day, we can decide to make changes in how we live our lives. Is the picture in the mirror telling you some changes need to be made?

Heavenly Father, help me to make good choices today. Teach me that I am personally responsible for my actions. Amen.