Decades ago, in a room full of young leaders, a 4-Star Admiral told a harrowing story about how he left the confines of the submarine under his charge, entered icy water with the divers, and dealt with an issue that threatened the safety of his sub and the lives of his men.
At the end of his story his said, “That moment, when I re-entered the sub, I was a different captain. All that I was responsible for had become crystal clear—it was an adrenaline producing event”.
Having captured our attention, after an ever so brief pause, he added, “I am here to create adrenaline-producing events in your lives!”
His closing statement certainly had a sense of foreboding. Yet his point was clear. There are events, even moments, in our lives that dramatically shape and change us. These life-altering situations often solidify deep core-values in us.
Here is just one of mine:
It was early in my professional career. I had made a serious mistake. In the nuclear business that meant a group of senior leaders would gather around a table, collect information, and interview people. Their goal was to determine the facts – to critique the event.
I was fearful of the critique knowing I had made the error.
Despite that fear, I mustered up the courage, and as they started, I entered the room with the necessary schematics and walked them through my error – and then I waited. I waited for their decisions regards what to do about me. Certainly, there would be serious personal impact.
As they concluded, while they were not pleased with all that had transpired, rather than tear me down, they were impressed that I had immediately gotten down to the issue at hand. By God’s grace, I had earned their trust.
Result: Integrity is a huge value deeply in me.
I share that story often. I love the moxy of that Admiral. I love that he realized how critical these crucible events are in the life of leaders.
They form us. They produce in us teachable moments.
Many describe a teachable moment as that narrow window of opportunity we have when another person is most receptive to critical information. In business it can be Mission or Vision or Values. We all know our Mission, Vision, and values need to be more than communicated to our people. They need to become engrained.
Being aware of a real-time situation that completely illustrates a Value, or our Vision, and then having the presence of mind to capture it – is gold.
This idea of a teachable moment intersects with sharing our faith.
I came to faith when I was experiencing a crisis. By God’s grace an employee perceived I was “teachable” and shared the Gospel.
Today, I pray God provide Divine Appointments. That He places in my path people who are open to the Gospel, and that I both see them, and have the courage to engage them. I try to always engage them with a Gospel of John and some short encouraging words. Words such as, “the message of this book gave me hope during a tough spot in my life, I would like to share it”. Then I stand ready to listen.
Connecting to the events in our lives which shaped us, help us be in tune with potential teachable moments – the most significant event for all of us is meeting Jesus.
What are your teachable points of view? Could you spend a few minutes thinking about your core values, connect how they were created in a crucible moment, and in turn yielded your deep beliefs?
Might you consider how you leverage your coming to know Jesus (be it a dramatic event, or gradually over time) to both see and share Jesus with others?
I encourage you do that simple exercise. You will be better positioned to see and respond in the teachable moments God provides.
David Collum serves as the Chief Executive Officer of The Pocket Testament League and is deeply passionate about helping people discover Jesus and forge a meaningful connection with God. His own journey led him from a life of strictly following rules and striving for perfection, which ultimately resulted in an off-putting demeanor, to experiencing God's grace in his moments of vulnerability and brokenness.
Under David's leadership, the Christian ministry with a rich history spanning over 125 years has successfully shared the Gospel with more than 130 million people as of 2016, since its inception by a 12-year-old girl.
David's diverse background includes a distinguished career in Corporate America, where he held a key position overseeing the nuclear power plants for the nation's fleet of nuclear submarines. He has also been blessed to serve as a full-time Pastor for 12 years, further enriching his experience in both the secular and religious spheres.