The Knowledge Gap

Have you ever found yourself in a difficult situation to navigate? Of course, we have! Probably this week. When we encounter a difficult situation, we have a few different options. We can ignore it, which is the easiest option. We can stumble our way through alone. Or we can seek out the help of someone who has gone before. The last option is the wise choice but often the last resort! Why is seeking help such a hard thing to do? Pride, impatience, overconfidence? Probably.

Recently, I found myself in a tough situation to navigate. My faucet continued to leak, and it was most noticeable when the house got quiet just before going to sleep. That slow, steady, drip can grate on the most robust nerves. Proverbs even says that a leaky faucet is like a bad marriage. Nobody wants a leaky faucet. Yet it’s easier to tolerate the leak rather than do something about it. Even if the accumulated water is 8.6 gallons per day!

I finally developed the courage to tackle the task. Plumbing can be intimidating! Step number one, determine the source of the leak. Step number two, decide what needs to be done. But how? I channeled my inner millennial spirit and sought out the sage wisdom of YouTube!

I spent weeks paralyzed by a leaking faucet and the solution turned out to be an easy fix. It wouldn’t have been easy if I had to navigate the situation alone, but countless people had blazed the trail before and graciously uploaded the video. A $30 part and a little bit of elbow grease had my shower working better than ever. And no more leaks!

There’s a principle here on both leading and following. Knowledge is powerful and sharing knowledge is one of the greatest attributes of a leader. Sometimes we take the knowledge we have for granted or question if anyone else could find it useful. Experience is a great teacher and what seems second nature could be a barrier for someone else. I love YouTube for this reason. We find all these people who have a variety of experiences and are willing to pass along the knowledge to others. That’s good leadership!

Good leaders never cease following. If someone wants to learn how to study and prepare for a sermon, I could do a good job leading the way. If someone wants to learn how to fix an electrical short, call my friend Rick! I know when to lead and I know when to follow.  

We all are part guide and part guided. It’s the dissemination of knowledge that is key. What if our communities were more like YouTube? Imagine all the people who have experience with the difficult situation another is navigating. Imagine all the untapped potential that could be unlocked through the sharing of that knowledge?

What area has God given us a passion to lead? The intersection between your passion and another person’s problem may be closer than we think.

What areas are proving difficult to navigate? Seeking help might open a solution we least expect. God has a way of opening doors and using others when we ask. We may be able to go fast alone but we go the distance together!