An Artist’s Idea of Accountability
Sometimes I forget why I am here. No, not in a morbid way. But I get lost in the less-than-important things like checking off the never ending to-do list, growing an art business, figuring out the best financial plans, dinner plans or learning new skills. Do these things matter? Absolutely. But sometimes I forget why I do them.
As a Christian, I know someday I will stand before my Creator and give an account of all my time, talents and money. I will give him an account of how I spoke in conversations, treated people in relationships and the intent behind each action and thought.
Sound a little terrifying? In my opinion, it should be a little. We are called to be in relationship with Jesus. I have no qualms saying he is my best friend. But at times, I can become so “chummy” with Jesus, that I forget that He is also my Lord. I am only a steward of my life, not its owner (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). My body, family, friends, skills, words, time and money are all on loan from Him. I don’t own anything- except for my choices.
Which brings me to the point of this blog post. When I die, I will stand before and give an account to the One who owns it all.
Will I stand before him and give him the account that I chose to use my time wisely? Or will I tell him instead that I wasted it because I claimed there was nothing to do while I watched TV and scroll through social media?
Will I stand before him and give him the account that I chose to use my words to build others up, bring wisdom to situations and show his love to people? Or will I tell him instead that I wasted it on petty arguments, gossip, worry, or negative talk about events and people?
Will I stand before him and give him the account that I chose to use my money wisely to invest in godly ventures, take care of people and spread the good news? Or will I tell him instead that I wasted it by buying things I don’t really need but made me feel extra comfy?
Will I stand before him and give him the account that I chose to use my talents well and practice them, honing my crafts and skills and gifts? Or will I tell him instead that I wasted them by getting by on “I don’t have time for that” and “it’s good enough” but inside knowing I’m just making excuses?
Will I stand before him and give him the account that I chose to cultivate loving, wholesome relationships, even with people who are hard to love? Or will I instead tell him I wasted them by complaining about others and blaming them for why the relationships had problems or failed?
Perhaps you’re reading this and you think my view of God is too drastic. Maybe you think “Oh my gosh, that god sounds so vindictive!”
Not so, let me explain.
One way to describe what I mean is this way. Imagine a five-year-old child who wants to give his or her parent a gift. Imagine the parent and child have a loving relationship. Imagine the child can only give what they can make by themselves. Even the supplies to make the gift are all from the parent. But would this parent be angry or disappointed if the child uses those supplies? Hardly. Remember, they are a loving parent. And would the parent be touched to see how the child spends so much time trying to make the parent the very best gift he or she could?
Of course! In fact, even if the child just scribbled a few incoherent words on a piece of paper and gifted that to their parent, the parent would probably still glow with love and say “Wow! Thank you!” The parent will genuinely feel happy and maybe even proud. But how much more will joy would there be if the child put his or her whole heart into making a gift? Regardless of how it looks, the child bursts with pride handing their homemade treasure to the parent. And the parent, recognizing the time, love and effort that went into the gift, bursts with love and pride at the love the child has shown.
The point of the story?
I think that is what giving an account to God might be like. We don’t have to fear God’s reaction, despite the somewhat terrifying nature of giving an account to God, because of how much He loves us. And even if we wasted all our lives or somehow only wasted a little, he will love us the same.
But my thought is, I don’t want to waste anything while crafting this gift called life. I only get one shot after all. I want to make my life as incredible as I can for him. At the end of my life, then, I can joyfully give it back to him, knowing I put my whole self into everyday I had.