Teachable Moments

He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.- Luke 4:15 (NIV)

We all have experienced teachable moments.  Either one way or another, we have experienced someone taking advantage of a given situation to tell us an important life lesson or we have addressed something similar ourselves with another person.  Jesus often did so through parables.  Sometimes it was just something as innocent as a tree that produced no fruit or it was something of great magnitude such as the destruction of the temple.  Jesus was the master of the teachable moment.

We should prepare ourselves for such incidents. Just as we prepare for what is intentional, we should also prepare for the incidentals.  We have to stop being so orchestrated by our daily agendas and become open to the leading of God’s Spirit, seeking an opening for the gospel to be disseminated by word or deed.  In the end, we discover that such moments of enlightenment are not limited to biblical times.  Yes, our day-to-day comings and goings can offer us detours that become discussions and encounters that lead to engagement.  Open your heart to the Lord leading you and open your eyes and ears to see and hear what is going on around you, so that when the moment comes you are prepared for your teachable moment.  You just might learn a thing or two.