Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance. -Proverbs 1:5 (NIV)
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. -Proverbs 1:7 (ESV)
Coined in the 1950s, the term “teachable moment” refers to the point in time when learning and achievement of tasks can happen. If the moment isn’t right, a student won’t learn and grow from whatever the lesson is at that point, and the task at hand can’t be accomplished.
It’s these windows of “eureka!” opportunity that we can grow as believers, when the eyes and ears of our hearts are open to receiving God’s teaching. Sometimes, we don’t recognize those windows till we see them in retrospect, or when God is gracious enough to present the same window again. At other times, it may be moments of brokenness or observing someone else’s life that the windows appear.
As students who walk this earth, we have the ultimate teacher to help us see, achieve, and grow along the way. God speaks to us all the time, sometimes whispering, sometimes shouting, and sometimes very, very subtly between the lines of what we’re looking squarely at.
God definitely speaks to us through His Word, which we are to spend time and partake in daily. It is a huge part of the spiritual nourishment that can give us greater discernment and enlightenment when we are walking around in a world that masks truths.
Attitude plays a huge part in it: Walking a prideful “I already know all that” walk is so dangerous. We should lean not on our own understanding, but sift situations, words thrown at us, and decisions to be made, through His Word, to be sure what we’re so sure of is really aligned with how God sees it.
I try to take each moment on its own merit, and make every moment an opportunity to learn something the Lord wants to tell me. Everything happens only by His design and permission. And His work is perfect. It is our privilege to examine all He has put before us—with what gifts He has given us—to learn and grow and achieve in His name. From this moment on, let us welcome and dive into every circumstance and let Him, the Master, speak to us, His students, through them…and ask ourselves: What is it you want me to learn from this moment, Lord?
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