I enjoy cooking. The other day I followed a recipe for chicken pot pie. The recipe called for a certain amount of chicken broth. As I poured the broth into a measuring cup, I reasoned the recipe called for too much broth, so I poured an amount below what was called for in the recipe. Big mistake. My pot pie was dry. The next time I'll know to pour at the line, and better, even above the line on my measuring cup.

A fellow ministry friend suggested a book he thought I would enjoy reading titled “Leadership Above the Line”. The phrase “above the line” intrigued me so I've been delving into that phrase lately. I have discovered that many professional educators are teaching this concept to students. Persons who serve as mentors and life coaches also talk a lot about “living above the line.”

What does this phrase mean? Sometimes you can understand a belief better by looking at the opposite of that belief. So, what does it mean to live below the line?
When you live below the line you play the blame game. Instead of accepting personal responsibility you blame the government, blame the economy, blame your mother-in-law, blame the competition, or blame your teacher. You get the idea. Blaming lets us off the hook. We convince ourselves it's not our fault, thus we don't have to change, get better, or do things differently.

When you live below the line you come up with a bunch of excuses. I was late because … I did not make that call because … I didn't stay on my diet because … If I can find enough justifiable excuses I don't have to be accountable.

When you live below the line you live in denial. You tell people you are doing fine even though you really aren't. You convince yourself that your marriage is better than it really is. You lie to yourself about your weight, your health or your personal finances. Why do we do this? It makes us feel better.

When you live below the line you give up and quit when things get hard. To accomplish a goal, to get to the mountaintop, takes effort. And when you are experiencing the darkness of the valley it's tempting to quit and relieve the discomfort. The penalty for us is that we fail to learn the beauty of perseverance.
So what does it mean to live above the line?

When you live above the line you are concerned about becoming a person of character. People of character tell the truth. They keep their commitments. They follow through on their promises. They do what they say they will do. They work hard.

When you live above the line you embrace responsibility and accountability. Responsibility is your obligation to act, to do something. Accountability is your obligation to answer for what you did. Persons who embrace both responsibility and accountability typically have greater control in their lives. When you live above the line you make things happen rather than letting things happen to you. Some people refer to this idea as ownership. Think of the words own and ship. You have your own ship and you, not someone else, have to steer it. You create, with God's help, the life you want instead of sitting passively hoping someone will do it for you.

What do we call people who live below the line? Victims. What do we call people who live above the line? Champions. Living above the line is what the Bible means when it says, “Set your heart on what is above” (Colossians 3:1).