What’s the first thing you think of when you hear the words - cinnamon roll? Does your mouth water? Perhaps the words “Delicious!” or “I want one now!” come to mind. When I hear those words, though, I think of my friend Lori and how much she loves me. When my oldest daughter was just a few months old, she got very sick. She was in the hospital on what was my husband’s first Father’s Day as a dad. Lori made a tray of homemade cinnamon rolls and left them at our front door with a Happy Father’s Day note. She knew how exhausted and sad we were and wanted my husband to feel celebrated. She also knew how to make delicious cinnamon rolls. Lori leveraged what she knew about our situation and how to make cinnamon rolls to love us well that day. It has been almost 25 years since then, and I still remember how I felt when I discovered the cinnamon rolls by our front door!
Two weeks ago, Leonard shared the laws of leverage on our blog that help us discover power beyond our strength. Last week, he wrote about leveraging what you have. Today, we’re talking about leveraging what you know.
Let’s start by considering two questions.
Question #1: What do you know about ______________(a place, a culture, a person, etc.)?
Use these prompts to generate ideas.
What do you know about your community? Who lives there? What are the resources?
What do you know about culture?
What do you know about people? What do they need? What do they care about?
What do you know about art or music, or sports?
Question #2: What do you know how to do?
Ask yourself this:
What skills do I have?
What are my strengths?
What are my abilities?
What do I love to do?
Leaders, also apply this reflective exercise to your family, church, or team. Brainstorm together and answer, “What do we know? What do we know how to do?”
Now, let’s look at some examples.
Using Creativity
I have a friend who once went to Cambodia. While he was there, his heart broke when he saw girls and boys victimized by sex trafficking. He then prayed to leverage what he knew how to do as an artist to make a difference. He now runs a nonprofit ministry staffed by creatives (other artists, musicians, and designers) whose work helps support survivors of sex trafficking and shows the hope of Jesus in the world.
Writing Greeting Cards
People have felt extra isolated and alone while sheltering in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, people are looking for ways to help. Knowing this, one local pastor invited women in her church to send greeting cards with a brief note to members of the community. This was a win-win; the senders felt like they were helping others when using their skills of writing an encouraging word and the recipients felt seen when they received actual mail.
Tutoring and Playing Uno
A few years ago, while working for Youth for Christ, I noticed that students at one of our middle schools needed something to do before school. So, with the principal’s blessing, we started an on-campus Friday morning hangout. One of our volunteers was good at math, so she began tutoring students during that time. I was great at playing Uno and Jenga - so I did that. We used what we knew students needed along with what we knew how to do to build relationships and provide a safe place for kids to be before school.
Coaching Baseball
A man in the Sacramento area loved baseball and had fond memories of playing little league as a kid. He also knew of a neighborhood where the families didn’t have the resources to sign their kids up to play on a team. So, he recruited some friends, raised a few dollars, and started a team for them. His church even sponsored that team and provided the kids with new cleats, gloves, and uniforms. People from the church committed to attending the games and began to build bridges with the families.
Hanging a Door
I have a friend who is a carpenter. He also loves coffee and visits the same cafe every morning on his way to work. Over time, he got to know the barista and began praying for an opportunity to share Jesus with him. One day the barista mentioned he was having trouble hanging a door in his house. My friend, who knows how to hang doors, offered to help. As far as I know, the barista hasn’t said yes to following Jesus yet, but he has a friend who does and who is praying for him.
Digging a Hole in the Roof
Once there were four men who had a friend who was paralyzed. They really loved him and wanted to help. They knew that Jesus was in town and that he had the power to do the miraculous. They knew Jesus could heal their friend. So, they put their friend on a mat and carried him to the house Jesus was in. It was too crowded to go through the front door. Not a problem, though, because they knew about the roof construction. So, they dug a hole in the roof and lowered their friend right in front of Jesus. Jesus saw that they acted on what they knew and healed the man! (Mark 2: 1-12)
I could literally write pages with examples of what leveraging what you know looks like. I bet you could, too. Whether it’s baking cinnamon rolls to encourage a friend or using your skills as an artist to start a nonprofit, the impact of leveraging what you know changes lives. It’s that powerful! So, let me ask you again.
“What do you know about ___________ that you can leverage? What do you know how to do?”