Avoidance and Acceptance.
Think about a river. As water flows toward the ocean, it encounters rocks, trees, branches, and many other obstacles. But the water does not stop and fight with the rock. It simply goes around it. If there is a way through, it flows through. If there is no way through, it finds another way.
Why?
Because the water has a destination.
I think there are two important principles for smooth progress: Avoidance and Acceptance.
Two words: Avoidance and Acceptance.
- Avoidance
What does avoidance mean?
It means wisely avoiding things that are not essential to our progress—especially things that can create unnecessary conflict, distraction, or resistance.
If we try to keep every opinion in our minds, respond to every criticism, and deal with every small disagreement, we will soon lose our direction. We will spend our energy on things that do not really matter.
A leader cannot carry everything.
There are many things we need to say, “That is not important enough to stop me.”
This does not mean that we ignore people. It means that we understand what is important and what is not.
If water encounters a rock, it does not try to destroy the rock. It simply goes around it.
Sometimes the wisest leadership is not confrontation but avoidance.
There are already so many things in our world that distract us. If we allow every little thing to occupy our minds, we will become exhausted before we reach our destination.
So, avoid what unnecessarily obstructs your progress.
- Acceptance
The second principle is acceptance.
There will always be different ideas, different opinions, and different ways of thinking. We cannot expect everyone to think exactly as we do.
But we do not have to fight with everyone.
If something does not fundamentally obstruct our progress, sometimes it is better simply to accept it and keep moving.
Water does this naturally. A branch falls into the river, and the water simply flows around it. A small piece of wood floats on the surface, and the water carries it along.
The water does not stop and say, “I don’t like this branch!”
It keeps moving.
I think some leaders become too sensitive to small things. They take every disagreement personally. They turn small problems into big problems and create obstacles that did not need to exist in the first place.
That is unwise leadership.
Not everything requires a response.
Not every disagreement requires an argument.
Not every opinion requires correction.
Sometimes, we simply need to say, “That’s okay,” and keep going.
Acceptance does not mean agreement. It means that we refuse to waste our energy on things that do not need to stop us.
Keep Flowing
We all know where water eventually goes.
It flows toward its destination—sometimes all the way to the great ocean.
Along the way, it encounters countless obstacles. But it keeps flowing.
That is how ministry should be.
Once you have a clear vision and a clear destination, you should keep moving toward it. Do not allow every small problem to interrupt your progress.
The principle is simple:
Avoid what obstructs your progress.
Accept what does not.
Keep moving toward your destination.
There are really only two choices in front of us: Avoidance or Acceptance.
I experienced this in the establishment of Melvin University in Kenya.
The finances were certainly important, but finances were not the only challenge. Sometimes it was the small things around us, the problems of daily life, misunderstandings, different opinions, and even resistance from people close to us that made progress difficult.
At such times, I learned that I needed to let things flow like water.
Not every obstacle needed to be confronted.
Not every disagreement needed to be resolved.
Not every resistance needed to become a battle.
Some things had to be avoided. Other things had to be accepted.
Then the resistance became smaller, and the vision could continue moving forward.
Water does not reach the ocean because it defeats every rock.
It reaches the ocean because it keeps moving.
That is an important lesson for leadership and ministry.
We need to know what to avoid, what to accept, and what to keep pursuing.
Then, like water, we can continue flowing until finally—
we reach our destination.