Children & Chocolate and Other Paths to God

I was telling my husband last night that I started this blog, and how interesting I found the whole process. (Forgive me if I'm not supposed to acknowledge the audience here, it's a bit like SNL actors looking at the camera and smiling.) One of my goals in 2008 was to write more, and I thought the concept of blogging would provide more discipline for me because of the "anonymous accountability" it provides. Meaning, if I tried to write in a composition book after the kids went to bed every night, and no one ever knew about it, I may not do it. But the fact that there are random people out there reading this forces me to keep producing material, because all writers need readers to keep them honest. We need them to ingest what we create, and to share in the experience somehow. (which goes along with the theory that "art is not art until it is shared with others.") Personally, I need accountability to help me stay focused.

My husband works in an industry with a lot of twenty-somethings, and often complains that this age group feels a real sense of entitlement, and a lack of accountability across the board. E-mail has perpetuated this since people feel like they can shoot off a bunch of emails and say their work is done, and they "did all they could" to contact someone about an issue. They just don't feel the responsibility to the company to work hard simply because that's what they've been hired to do- they're always looking for extra perks, and to see what's in it for them personally. In their minds, they answer to no one but themselves.

But is that really true?

At this point, I haven't shared this blog with anyone I know, so I'm feeling responsible to someone faceless, who is encouraging me, in my mind, to do something good, to be better, to think clearly, and be more disciplined. I think this is a positive thing. I also think it sounds familiar. Don't we all answer to someone faceless, who is requiring us to be greater than ourselves? God gives us the tools we need to get through life, and all of our talents are gifts from Him. We are obligated to use these talents, and to share these talents - it's considered a sin not to. God is always encouraging us to do something good, to be better, to think clearly, and to be more discplined.

So if you need an extra push to work harder today, to be nicer, to be more creative, to sing louder, to cook better, to be a better spouse/friend/parent/in-law/employee, remember that you ARE accountable for your actions - whether God is anonymous to you or not - there is someone watching you, and rooting for you to be the best person you can be.