One Simple Way To Impact Someone’s Life

“One Simple Way To Impact Someone’s Life”

5 min read by Chris Rea

I turned 39 this week. It’s amazing what happens in your first two official decades of adulthood.

In my 20’s, I thought I knew everything. When my 30’s made their grand entrance, however, I began to realize I did not. But I did know a few things and I knew them fairly well.

Over time, I became ok with not being good at everything. I embraced my strengths instead of always slugging away at my weaknesses. Because I realized one thing that changed everything: in order to be an effective teacher or mentor I don’t have to teach someone everything, I just had to share with them what I knew.

One of the first times I knew in my heart I had a passion for teaching and a desire to invest in another person’s life, I was 16 years old. It was a normal day and I was reading a few chapters from my Bible. And every time I read something that really stood out to me, I wrote it down in a notebook, a green spiral notebook. (It’s weird what your brain remembers.)

Why did I scribble away in that green notebook? Because I wanted to be able to quickly reference where in the Bible a scripture verse was. And also, it was 1996 before you could google your way to Biblical knowledge.

I didn’t know how or when or where, but I knew I wanted to quickly recall scriptures so I could teach people what God was teaching me.

Even at that age, it wasn’t enough for me to know this for myself. If I was learning something I had to make sure everyone knew what I knew.

That’s when I began to learn the freeing lesson that in order to impact someone’s life, I didn’t have to teach them everything. I could simply teach them what I knew and that was enough.

So for me,

I know how to practically apply God’s word to my life.
I know how what it takes to have a healthy marriage. (Even though I do it imperfectly most of the time.)
I know how to get a vision, create a plan, and persevere to accomplish that vision.
I know how to cook chicken wings and grill a mean steak.
I know how to hit a golf ball straight half the time.

And that’s about it. The list of what I don’t know? Much longer.

And you know what, that’s ok. Because then I have the chance to be taught by someone else’s strengths. Such a gift and such an incredible picture of the body of Christ.

I used to think, in order to really invest in another person’s life, I had to know everything and that mindset will only discourage you.

I was a yo uth pastor for a long time, over 13 years. And I always felt like I fell short mentoring the young men because I couldn’t teach them certain things. I couldn’t teach them how to change their own oil, rotate their tires, or build a treehouse. Those aren’t my strengths and because of that, I often felt inadequate. Finally, I realized I didn’t have to teach these guys everything about “being a man.” There were other men in their lives who were great at the things I wasn’t.

It wasn’t my lack of knowledge that was keeping me from investing into those guys, it was my pride.

I simply had to teach them what I knew, what I knew about cultivating a vibrant relationship with God. What I knew about being in a relationship with the opposite sex. What I knew about vision, goal setting and going after their dreams. That was enough.

We all have something to offer another person. One of the biggest lies we choose to believe is we have nothing of value to bring to the table. Simply not true.

What is it that you know?
What are you good at?
How can you invest what you know into someone else’s life?

It’s easy to discredit our ability to impact someone when we only focus on what we’re not

Why is this important? The greatest thing you can do with your life is to invest it into people. Jesus modeled this. He came to the world, got 12 guys together and simply taught them what He knew about the Father. Then he told these 12 guys, “Your turn. Go out there and do what you have seen me do. And then teach others to do the same.”

This was Jesus’ model for changing the world: Invest what He knew into people and replicate Himself. The greatest fulfillment you get in life is when you see people operating in something you taught them.

Megan & I have had the opportunity to mentor some amazing young men & women of God. Each time we listen to them teach or they follow a model we taught them for speaking, or we hear them say something we said, I smile from ear to ear and Meg gets choked up. (My sentimental one.)

Friend, nothing is more fulfilling than watching someone do something you taught them.

Investing our lives into people is the greatest way to build relationships and influence with others. Maybe you have kids, or staff, or friends, or younger people that look up to you. Don’t just do everything for them because it is faster. It seems easier at the moment because it is. I get that more than you know. But take the time, invest, replicate the truth or the skills in them which come naturally to you. Take the pressure off to know it all perfectly.

Teach them what you know.

Don’t let that secret sauce die with you.

Don’t be the only one who can cook or sew or design.

Don’t be the only one who can crunch numbers and build a business.

Find someone who has similar gifts and get invested in their life.

That’s where all the good stuff lies.

So tell me, what are YOU good at?

It’s time to give it away.

Until next time,

Chris

Want more encouragement, hope & humor in your inbox? We thought so. SUBSCRIBE HERE

Pin me for later!