I have never owned a sword before. There are not many occasions I can think of that call for a sword. Even still, deep inside I think every man wants a sword- and now I have one! In fact, it was given to me this weekend as a groomsman gift.
Billy walked down the church aisle with a large, black duffle bag over his shoulder. He layed the bag down and unzipped it. Where I thought a skateboard would be lay 14 unique swords resting side by side. Instead of taking off doing a nose wheelie by the bride's grandmother, Billy distributed the swords one-by-one to his groomsmen. When he got to me, he looked me in the eyes and said, "If ever the countenance of my wife should fall- you come talk to me."
Now that's accountability!
Billy giving me a sword as his wedding gift was symbolic of the type of access that he has granted me in his life and the type of relationship we have.
Billy has intentionally allowed certain men into his life to call him and hold him to a standard. If ever he was to mess up, he's got these guys coming to him in love & looking to call him back to his senses. Whenever a guy gets on his own and out of accountability is when he's looking to sin & allows himself to slip from that standard (Proverbs 18:1).
My relationship with Billy is reciprocal. In the same way Billy expects me to call and hold him to a standard, he does the same for me. Most of the time in our relationship Billy gets to tell me what an idiot I'm being. Through rooming with Billy and brushing shoulders with him over the years, God has used him to shape me and grow me (often painfully so!) into the man he wants me to be (Proverbs 27:17).
Whether groomsman or not, the type of men a guy has in his life is a good measure of that man...
What kind of people do you have in your life?
Do they call you to a standard?
4 comments:
Wow!...
Thanks for the story and challenge.
http://mrchrishill.blogspot.com/2007/12/swords.html
Hey Bret! I have been faithfully checking this blog site for oh, 3 months or so to no avail and today I was pleasantly surprised- you're back! That is a pretty cool groomsman gift(don't show my boys- they will want one for sure) and great kind of relationship with a friend too. Definitely needed. Not just for you- for us all:) Hope you're enjoying Tehas. When do you leave for Colo? See ya soon
A great post. I think this is probably one of the more touching groomsman tales I have ever heard and yes, it does leave no room for speculation as to the kind of accountability he has left on your shoulders as well as the other men in that wedding party.
As far as the people in my life? Accountability? That is a challenge for me to name them. After a whole lifetime's worth of challenges packed into a few months of stressful mishaps into a new life, I can honestly say that knowing who your real friends are is utterly important. I can count them on one hand now. It is difficult some days to think of that, but when it comes down to it, I know that they keep me "real" to use the slang phrase and they never, ever allow me to become pretentious or heinous in thought. They bring me back to the reality of my life...and fast. Like, the second I need it.
Great blog Bret. Will be a regular reader.
Have a safe time here in the springs.
~C
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