Unexpected Teachable Moments

Jesus is referred to as Rabbi or teacher more than any other title in the New Testament, and rightly so. As God in the flesh, He not only was perfect, but modeled for us the skills of a Master teacher. One noticeable way He instructed His disciples was through the use of teachable moments that occurred in the course of His ministry.

Jesus is referred to as Rabbi or teacher more than any other title in the New Testament, and rightly so. As God in the flesh, He not only was perfect, but modeled for us the skills of a Master teacher. One noticeable way He instructed His disciples was through the use of teachable moments that occurred in the course of His ministry. Whether it was 5,000 hungry people in need of food, a child in need of healing, or a storm on a lake, Jesus had a way of using everyday events to teach His disciples about Himself.
So it was that God presented me with an unexpected teachable moment on the shores of an island off the coast of Papua New Guinea. It was here that I was blessed to serve as a missionary for a short time, and on our way back from this island to the mainland, choppy seas and low battery power on the boat’s motor forced us to return to the island from whence we came. A little challenged by the delay, but glad we could make it back to the island, we had a bit of time to wait until help arrived. As I walked along a black sand beach as I stared out into the Pacific, a perfect sitting log caught my eye. As the warm salt waters gently lapped the sand in front of my feet, an idea occurred to me – build a sand castle.
Although not a crazy idea, I hadn’t built one in probably 20 years, and so I began. Yet, I had apparently forgotten the first rule of sandcastle building and the tide time and again would destroy my efforts. Not thwarted, however, I decided to surround the castle with a moat, and build a wall to protect the castle. By this time, several of my teammates on the mission trip had seen what I was doing, and stopped by to join in the fun. As we continued to build, a child or two stopped by to see our work. Then a few more, and a few more, and by the time I realized what was going on, about 50-70 children were standing all around us, throwing sea shells at our feet to help us decorate our masterpiece.
It was then that a new idea entered my mind – say something about Jesus. As I thought about what to say, one of my teammates came to me and said, “Hey man, you should say something.” Alas, confirmation. As I searched for the words to say, just then, our translator made his way to us to see what the commotion was all about. His timing was perfect, and as he arrived, the word of the Lord came to me. For next five minutes or so, I explained to the children that had gathered about building their lives on the Rock, that is Jesus Christ, versus building on the sand. Building on sand, I explained, was anything other than Jesus Christ, and that like this sand castle, such a building would be eventually destroyed. Similarly, a life built on any other foundation than Jesus the risen Christ, would likewise be destroyed when difficult times came. On the other hand, a life that is rooted and built up on the foundation of Jesus Christ and His Word would be able to endure difficult times, and such a person would be able to live with God eternally.
As I later contemplated what had taken place on the beach, I was humbled and overjoyed by the unexpected opportunity God had given me to teach those children about Himself. He truly orchestrated a great lesson for them and for me. While they learned about building their lives on Christ, I learned to trust God more in the unexpected moments in life. Look for unexpected teachable moments inside and outside of the Sunday school class, God just may be providing you with something more exciting and impactful than what you had planned.