PASTOR'S PEN
Find a spiritual .running partner'
WILLIAM CAMPBELL

School is back! That means parents no longer have to be activity coordinators, kids are not running the streets, and (for parents) life is good.

It is funny, though, that this year I have noticed more kids eager for school to start. Why is that? One of several reasons for this to be true is that kids, teenagers and adults need structure and accountability.

We all need someone in our lives who will hold us accountable. Accountable to what, you may ask: ultimately, to God's standards. Ooh. I realize, to some, that the word "accountability" is like a four-letter word. Instinctively, we think we don't need someone checking up on us. We d o n 't w a n t other people to know our "dirty laundry". I am learning that e v e r y o n e else's dirty l a u n d r y i s just as dirty as mine (and mine is just as dirty as everyone else's).

I know that in my life, when I have physical discipline, I also have spiritual discipline. I know that when I have organization in some areas, it helps me in other areas. I also know that when I have a relationship with someone else who is striving to walk with Christ, my walk with Christ improves. That principle is scriptural: Proverbs. 27:17 NLT "As iron sharpens iron, a friend sharpens a friend." Accountability actually keeps us among the active tools that God can and wants to use. Without it we will grow dull.

So how are you in this area? Do you keep all your secrets (dirty laundry) to yourself? That isn't healthy. Everyone needs help from someone else. Let me encourage you to find a friend who can be your "spiritual running partner" in this marathon of life. It will make the journey so much easier.

William Campbell is pastor at First Baptist Church of Port Aransas.