Imagine with me that you’re ten years old again (which might be scary to relive). You and your friends are having a blast outside playing Hide and Seek or Capture the Flag, getting into all the trouble that ten-year-olds do at that age.

As you make your way through the woods, running as fast as you can, your foot suddenly gets stuck! And not only is it stuck, but you also feel yourself being pulled closer to the ground. After trying repeatedly to free yourself and your foot, you look down and realize you’re being sucked into the ground by quicksand!

There’s no way to free yourself using your own strength–you’re not strong enough! Eventually, through screaming and yelling, your friends finally come to your aid, offer their hands and, to your great relief, help pull you out of your sticky situation.

Okay, back to the real world. This analogy reminds me of what accountability should look like in all of our lives–not that we depend on other people to always save us from our bad decisions and unwise choices, but that when we get stuck and find ourselves in desperate need for help, we reach out and grab on to two or three hands to help pull us out.

I’m thankful that accountability doesn’t mean someone only holds my hand in the midst of my struggle (though that, of course, is needed), but it means they’re challenging me by pulling me along or maybe even pushing me when I need it.

Accountability is something to be extremely grateful and thankful for in sexual recovery, and yet many do not embrace it for its incredible value. It takes honesty, effort, and consistency from all parties involved.

I’m especially thankful this month for X3watch, which makes the process of accountability much more meaningful and accessible. And it offers the helping hands necessary for when you are stuck in the “quicksand” of sexual addiction.

X3watch is a great reminder to those struggling with sexual addiction that freedom and healing cannot be achieved alone in isolation. Only in openness and relationship with other men can we find the wholeness we have so desperately longed for, so this Thanksgiving, let’s be thankful for more than just turkey and pumpkin pie. Let’s remember to be thankful for all the helping hands available to reach out to us when we’re stuck and can’t get free.