The Men of Iron Minute

by Chad Zueck | Director of Content Creation

Let’s Fill the Accountability Toolbox

As a sailor in the U.S. Navy, I have visited unexpected cities that knocked my socks off and other well know cities that didn’t measure up to the hype. Rome, a beautiful city. Cartagena, Spain, has wonderful people and culture. Jerusalem, no words. Pisa, Italy, a letdown. More specifically, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, or as we refer to it in my home… the “leaning tower of let down.” I am not trying to be a hater, but it wasn’t all that. I looked for grandeur and scale but couldn’t find them. What I did find was a nugget of truth; foundations matter. Here’s the backstory, just in case it’s been a minute since your last World Italian history lesson.

Alright, so picture this – back in the day, like way back in the 12th century, builders decided to construct this epic Tower that would blow everyone’s minds. They were all pumped up, but here’s the thing – they didn’t get the foundation right! So, as they kept building, the Tower started tilting like crazy because gravity wins. It became famous for its “leaning” status, and people couldn’t resist taking selfies with it, even before selfies were a thing. Despite the wobbly start, they finished it, and it’s still leaning today. What’s the point? Foundations matter.

In a previous MOI minute named “Four Keys to Accountability,” I shared four guiding or foundational principles, and today I will give you four more to add to your relational toolbox. Beginning with the proper foundation, you can end well. This passage in Romans is like the Swiss Army Knife in its many applications.

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.” Romans 12:12-16, NIV84^[1]

Right out of Romans 12:12-16 here they are.

+ Live joyfully. Deepen your walk with Christ, and you will be filled with joy instead of happiness (which is as fleeting) as a quarter in a five-year-old boy’s pocket at an old-school arcade.
+ Pray patiently. God is not in a hurry, so don’t be in a hurry with God. Trust in Him. Wait on Him. Don’t expect others to be Jesus to you; eagerly await Jesus’ presence in and through you.
+ Practice hospitality. I am not talking about having tea and crumpets. Hospitality is “welcoming in” and “stepping toward” another person. Marriage, friendships, and mentorship need this nearness and openness to thrive.
+ Find Common Ground. When in a disagreement or drowning in confusion, refer to the common goals you initially set. The common goals are the agreeable, pre-determined areas that need accountability and attention. Regarding accountability, this is the area you have given the other person to speak into.

The Tower leans.

God’s truth never does.

Be a mentor.

Find a mentor.

Be a better man.

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^[1] The Holy Bible: New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984), Ro 12:12–16.