This question usually means one of three things. First, it challenges someone’s knowledge or the quality of their information. In this context, “What do you know” really means, “I doubt you know anything about it; you don’t know what you are talking about.” Second, the phrase can express surprise, as if to say, “How about that! or that’s a new one on me.”
But today I am asking YOU what you know. Every person has a unique set of experiences. You have lived your life in a family, you have been to school, you have worked at a wide variety of tasks. You have met any number of people and shared experiences with them. YOU are the common factor in all these. You are the only one who has been all the places you have been, met all the people you have met, heard all that you have heard. You have experience, insight, and wisdom that belong to you and you alone.
So… today I am asking you to take inventory of your knowledge. Sure, you learned something in school, but hopefully you kept learning long after graduation. Here are a few questions to get started with.
1. What do you know about your trade or occupation? How did you learn it?
2. What are some of your favorite topics to explore? (birds, history, art, crafts… things like that) How did you learn about them? Do you plan to explore more deeply?
3. What do you know about how to treat people? How did you learn?
4. How did you learn about God, Jesus, and faith? How might you learn more?
5. What would you say was the most significant thing you have learned?
Have fun with this… it might help if you are looking for a way to pass some time.