Teachable moments

The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue,
to know the word that sustains the weary.
He wakens me morning by morning,
wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.

–Isaiah 50: 4

Raising kids has been an adventure for me, and I never expected to learn so much while serving in the greatest teaching capacity of my life!  Little ones have so much to offer to us grown-ups:  curiousity, innocence, energy, and simple trust.  Although I have sought to pass on whatever the Lord has equipped me with, it seems that in many cases He equips me further through each of my children in a special way, and for that I am deeply grateful. 

But every now and then as we journey through out days together, we come upon a spot in the clearing where circumstances are just right for what we parents fondly call a “teachable moment.”  Looking back, I am sure I never really anticipate them beforehand.  It’s not as though I have our road mapped out and expect the crossroad that lends itself to these situations.  But I have found that these “coincidences,” these opportunities that seem to fall out of nowhere, have probably been some of my best friends in my passage through parenthood.  They have allowed both my children and I to see, in a very applicable way, how the simple truths of life not only make the most sense, but turn out in our best interest every time we invest in them.

I am sure the Lord, as my heavenly Father, also has some teachable moments in store for our journey together.  In fact, I am sure He is tilting my head in that direction from the moment I open my eyes each day.  And I have found that if I give Him my full, undivided heart from the earliest hours, I am much more likely to experience those wonderful opportunities and to hear from Him.  You see, He is speaking to me, to my heart, daily.  But just as Elijah came to understand, His voice is not always the rumble of the earthquakes of my life.  It doesn’t always blow with terrific force into my thoughts, shoving the rest of my concerns aside.  It doesn’t even always set me ablaze in its power.  No, very often the teachable moments of my Jesus come in the smallest whispers, wooing me to Himself in the way a father awakens his child.  But if I will listen intently to what He has to say, I will find incredible truth tucked away in the moments of life that would otherwise pass me by

Open my ears to hear your voice today, Father. 
Show me how to join You in the wonderful work you are about in this world. 
You have words for me to speak to others and treasures for me to gather along the way;
Help me to be aware of Your voice, even when it speaks gently, in the smallest of ways.