Do You Mind?

Hello, friends!

About 2 years ago it finally started happening. ACF got to the point that it didn’t need me. The first few years of ACF, everything revolved around me. I was the planner and the executer. Students helped a TON but ultimately, they still mostly just helped. It wasn’t that they weren’t capable. It was just that they didn’t feel like they had the spiritual authority to do stuff without me. My goal has always been to change that mentality.

It was a subtle change but one that I definitely noticed. The questions changed. No longer was it, “hey, can ACF do this?” The question was, “Do you mind if ACF does this?” It may seem like a small change but it’s actually huge. The first question implies that I’ll be the one who is actually doing the work. “Can ACF do this” can be interpreted as, “I have a need that I believe ACF can fill in some way. Can you please put something together that will fill this need of mine?” Mind you, this isn’t a bad question to ask. ACF’s mission is the share Christ’s love with the Asian and Asian Americans on campus and it’s my job to serve students so I’m happy to do it. It’s just a different question that the “do you mind…”

See, the “Do you mind…” question implies planning. It means that the student(s) has already out his or her idea into motion and is asking more for approval than anything else. The “Do you mind…” question really is, “Hey, I have this idea for something that I want to do. Can ACF put their name on it so it’ll be more official?” I love saying yes to that question.

It’s hard to say exactly how we got to that point. It could be because we had student leaders who were full of ideas. Maybe they finally started getting the spiritual authority piece that I’d been trying to tell them all these years. Maybe it was just the grace of God. It’s probably all 3 (and DEFINITELY the third one). It doesn’t really matter. All that does matter is that then, just like now, I really didn’t mind them taking ownership at all. =0).

Have an excellent day!

~Adam