This Week from Mitch

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope and pray life is treating you well on this rainy Thursday. A friend of mine recently joked that Lent was a great time to restart failed New Year's resolutions. I have to admit, I have laughed and recognized my own guilt at doing just that many, many times over the years. It occurred to me that one of the biggest things holding me back from accomplishing my Lenten disciplines is not the willingness to do what I say I am going to do, but rather the unwillingness or inability to shed the things that zap my time, energy, and attention — the wasted minutes on my phone that accumulate, my procrastination, and/or my avoidance of things that are hard or uncomfortable. These are habits that we all have, intentionally or unintentionally, trained into ourselves. See the lawsuit currently against Instagram!

As I thought about this, I once again realized the importance of having accountability in my spiritual life. It's funny, I have a partner in Denise, my wife. I love her, and part of honoring our vows is being accountable to her. As you all know, I joined a swim team last year. I have continued to swim because I want to be healthier. To help me in this, I am accountable to my teammates and coaches. Young or old, being accountable to your teammates is part of what it means to be on a team. As people work to break the bonds of addiction, they often find a sponsor, a person who helps with accountability. If you are sober long enough, you might give back by becoming a sponsor yourself. In short, across all aspects of society, we use accountability partners and/or have systems of accountability. I wonder then why so many of us choose to walk our spiritual journeys alone? I encourage you to find a partner in prayer, someone you can be accountable to and who can hold you accountable. Faithfulness does not need to be a solo effort. C.S. Lewis wrote, "Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy or art. It has no survival value; rather, it is one of those things that gives value to survival." He reminds us that friendship is not necessary for life, but it is essential for a meaningful life. I would argue that this is also largely true for our faith.

Peace,

Mitch