Teachable Moment

If you want to be a better parent, here’s a suggestion. Don’t run to Books-A-Million and shell out cash for the latest word from this year’s flavor of parenting, book-selling, know-it-all. Run to the bookshelf in your den and take down the Bible. The source of anything they’ve got to say that’s worth hearing, can be traced directly to its source: God’s word. Here’s some more Bible help on raising your kids.

Jesus frequently used everyday events of life to teach valuable moral lessons to His disciples. For example, in Luke 21 he taught about giving as he watched the people placing their gifts in the treasury in the Temple. Eventually, along came a widow who cast in two mites – and a lesson was born. Jesus was using a teachable moment. As parents, why don’t we try some of the same?

The teachable moment is straight out of the Bible. A teachable moment is an occasion when an event happens that brings up a subject you would like your children to have a better understanding of. It may appear suddenly and unannounced. And, like a lot of other things – you use it or lose it.

It might be simply something that has come up in conversation. Or, it might be hate-produced violence that you see on TV or hear on radio news, a terrible automobile accident that was alcohol related, or the mess someone has made of their marriage because they couldn’t control themselves and remain sexually faithful to their spouse. These, and like occurrences, are open doors to teachable moments. What better opportunities could you find to teach your children about loving each other, abstaining from whiskey, or marital faithfulness? The subject has come up in a natural way, and thus the discussion of the teaching of the Bible in this area can proceed in a natural manner. Natural is good. Overly structured “drill sessions” may not be as effective.

Opportunities such as the above abound – if we will just open our eyes to see them and open our mouths to use them. Make a conscious effort to notice opportunities like these when they present themselves. They often come unexpected, and the fact that they are unplanned adds to their effectiveness. When a teachable moment occurs, be ready, and jump on it.

What moment can you identify today? Will you use it?