Accountability

(Princess Irene ran from her room out into the woods for fear of the monster that came through her window. She followed her grandmother's light back to her house and up to her room. Upon embracing her grandmother she gets her dress dirty, but she pulls a rose shaped coal out of the fire and upon holding it to her dress it makes her clean. This book was written by a priest in the 1800's and his symbolism is subtle but recognizable. How revolutionary is it that the grandmother represents God and that a Catholic priest drew this comparison in the 1800's without losing his honor?)

"Won't you hold it to my frock and my hands and my face? And I'm afraid my feet and my knees want it too."

"No," answered her grandmother, smiling a little sadly as she threw the rose from her, "it's too hot for you yet. It would set your frock in a flame. Besides, I don't want to make you clean tonight. I want your nurse and the rest of the people to see you as you are, for you will have to tell them how you ran away for fear of the long-legged cat. I should like to wash you, but they would not believe you then."

The Princess and the Goblin pg. 97

Accountability plays a large role in the process of sanctification. It's hard to be honest with people and go to them with all of the grime and shame of your sin, but I think that that is what God pushes us to do. Not only because it forces us to own up to who we are and what we've done so that we can face ourselves and others in order to change, but also so that we can be affected by our past experiences and learn more about life and God from them. God is not an easy button that we push and everything suddenly becomes okay: He allows the dirt from our experiences to coat us so that we can then be molded into who we are supposed to be.

6/29/11