The Bridge will address those four questions Individually With All Parties Before The Individuals Can “Willingly” Enter Into Accountability. The Answers Will Determine If The Persons Can Move On To Reconciliation.

FOUNDATION FOR FAMILY FORUMS (Phase I-Part II)

—A Twofold Approach to Healing from Trauma—

This process for healing applies to all sorts of relationships from dating, marriage, religious, political, social, business, and bi-racial.

ACCOUNTABILITY (A)—The Sacrifice:

The etymology of the word accountability refers to the linguistic (systematic study of languages) history of words and phrases by tracing their root development from cultural antiquity and its progression into modern phrases. In that context, Accountability simply refers to the “state of being answerable.” It is a state where a person renders an account of their conduct and behavior that negatively affected relationships, causing a breach. Whether a public official or religious leader, husband, wife, offspring, sibling, relative, friend, or acquaintance, when the Moral Law is violated that has a negative debilitating effect on another person or persons, the person must answer to a higher authority. (The Moral Law is the transliteration of the Ten Commandments recorded in Exodus 20, known in the Hebrew language as the Ten Words. The first four encompass our relationship with the Lord and the last six encompass relationships with people around us.)

That higher authority is God. As far as being accountable to people, outside of a court of law, the person cannot be forced to be accountable but must be freely given the opportunity to come forward, which is why Confrontation is first.

“For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will give praise to God.” Therefore, each of us will give an account of himself to God (Romans 14:11, 12).

Accountability Affirms The Design Of The Bridge Of Reconciliation And Engages Responsibility To Do Something About The Problem Through Sacrifice.

Ultimately, every person is accountable to the Lord of Glory on the Day of Reckoning and within the human consciousness, when there is “conviction” of a breach in a relationship. When the person is under conviction, the person should seek to answer for the breach. The human consciousness is its “own’ judge and jury,” (Not the court of public opinion), on behalf of God to either convict or acquit. In that case, in the “here and now,” each person will answer to the human consciousness under conviction. That becomes the higher authority. No one can make that decision for them.

Accountability sets the stage for a plan of action and points participants in the proper direction. Accountability is our legal and moral responsibility for the welfare and care of each other, especially family members, that we are not obligated too, but acting on our responsibility creates exponential blessings. Accepting responsibility will help the participants embrace their mutual obligations and strengthen their willingness to “actually” do something about the problem.

Accountability explores the problem that affects the person’s progression. The goal of accountability is edification and spiritual equality—Common Ground (Philippians 2:1-5). Accountability can then take participants out of neutral concerning revealed truth as they become stewards of managing the problem. Accountability, as portrayed, requires personal sacrifice, which might hurt. Still, sacrificing will initiate the bridge-building process. Sacrifice can be anything from time, adjusting one’s schedule to engage the other person, postponing casual time, traveling to be part of a forum, or even listening intently to the other person’s story. Sacrifice will be examined more thoroughly in the second phase.