"Remember, we all stumble, every one of us.
That's why it's a comfort to go hand in hand."
~ Emily Kimbrough ~
Years ago, while working in campus ministry, I was a part of a women's accountability group that met once a week. Participating in a group of that type was really difficult for me; up until that point, I had never been called to the kind of transparency that accountability required. I shared some pretty heavy stuff about my spiritual life early on in the group and was met with a lot of encouragement and prayers, but little else. The weeks went on and while our group discussed a lot of "little" struggles, no one else broached struggles anywhere near the same caliber of what I had shared at the beginning of the group. I began to feel frustrated, vulnerable, and even foolish until a girl in the group approached me privately one evening and confessed that she had experienced some of the same struggles I had. I thanked her profusely for having the courage to share something so personal with me and encouraged her to share with the group so that they could help her in the journey as well, but she made it clear that she didn't feel comfortable with that level of transparency. I was disappointed but understood the hesitation and respected her privacy. A few weeks later another girl in the group came to me privately and shared some of her struggles but also resisted sharing with the group. By the end of the first semester, 5 of the 7 girls had shared something personal with me but none of the girls had ventured to share with the group.
As we began the second semester, I felt very frustrated by the lack of sharing and transparency in a group of women called together to be accountable. Despite every effort I made to encourage sharing in the group, there was no change. I felt stuck between a rock and a hard place because I knew that I was the one person with the knowledge to understand how much the group could benefit by sharing like experiences, but I also knew that sharing that knowledge would betray the trust that had been bestowed upon me and would end up doing more damage than good.
I know this isn't news to anyone, but we all stumble, we all struggle, and we all sin and fall short of the glory of God. The really sad part is that we live in a culture so caught up in image and status that we are afraid to be vulnerable regardless of how much we can learn and grow from a moment of weakness. There is so much blessing to be gained from sharing struggles, the greatest of which is accountability, so let's walk hand in hand in this journey so that we might help each other grow stronger.
As we began the second semester, I felt very frustrated by the lack of sharing and transparency in a group of women called together to be accountable. Despite every effort I made to encourage sharing in the group, there was no change. I felt stuck between a rock and a hard place because I knew that I was the one person with the knowledge to understand how much the group could benefit by sharing like experiences, but I also knew that sharing that knowledge would betray the trust that had been bestowed upon me and would end up doing more damage than good.I know this isn't news to anyone, but we all stumble, we all struggle, and we all sin and fall short of the glory of God. The really sad part is that we live in a culture so caught up in image and status that we are afraid to be vulnerable regardless of how much we can learn and grow from a moment of weakness. There is so much blessing to be gained from sharing struggles, the greatest of which is accountability, so let's walk hand in hand in this journey so that we might help each other grow stronger.
As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.
Proverbs 27:17
Proverbs 27:17
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