Anyone else’s family enthralled by the athletic competition show American Ninja Warrior?  Together we marvel at the strength of the competitors and are inspired by many of the back stories.

Last Monday, area finalist Geoffrey Motil shared how he made bad mistakes through his 20s and 30s.  However, he went on to say,  “I’ve transformed all these horrible decisions into being honest…it’s on to a new road!” Woohoo!  Durbins were set to cheer him on after that clip!

He had barely begun the first obstacle when we saw him climbing out of the course, thereby disqualifying himself.

What?!  Nobody, including the commentators, could figure out what had happened.

Geoffrey walked straight up to the interviewer and explained that he grabbed on to the back of one of the boards, an illegal move.  In keeping with his desire to live honestly, he immediately jumped out of the course.

He said, “I know what I did.  I’m not gonna cheat.”  The commentator later replied, “Truly an honorable move by the competitor!” 

If you wish to see the clip, click here.  Then, fast forward to the time count of 14 minutes.

Here’s what stood out to us as we discussed this man’s actions –
*Did he keep going and hope that nobody would notice?
*How would he have felt if he had kept going and made it through to the next round?
*How long did it take him to make a right or wrong decision?
                   Split-second!  His heart clearly desires to do what is right!
*How many people would have done what he did?
*What would you have done?

Tips for Teachable Moments:
Remember that you can always expand and follow up on teachable moments later.  In the moment, I paused the episode and we discussed it briefly.  However, it wasn’t until a couple of days later that I followed up with adding in the value what God has to say about that man’s choices.  Don’t let the timing keep you from making the most of it!

Remember to grab your copy of Parenting with Scripture: a Topical Guide for Teachable Moments to help you find verses when something like this comes up!

WOW….SO MANY great Scriptural lessons and principles can come from this real-life example!
Here are just a few:

From the topic “Honesty” – page 122
Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much,
and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.
Luke 16:10
Discussion: How trustworthy do you think this man is?  Why?

From the topic “Character” – page 38
Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
1 Corinthians 15:33
Discussion:  Would someone like this be a good or bad friend to have?  Why?

From the topic “Integrity” – page 132
The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.
Proverbs 10:9
Discussion:  What are the results of the actions he took?
What would have been the results of his actions if he had kept going?

From the topic “Example” – page 86
In everything set them an example by doing what is good.
Titus 2:7
Discussion:  Is he a good example?
Is being a good example always easy?
Who would you admire more… him or someone who won dishonestly?  Why?

Praying the Scripture:
After our discussion about the related verses, we prayed through the verses asking for God’s help with each topic.  I also added a petition for our Heavenly Father to help each of our hearts be ready to glorify Him in split second decisions through all our actions and words. 

**Disclaimer**
I reminded my kids that we know nothing about this man other that we’ve seen on this show.
We talked about how you can’t necessarily believe everything you see in the media, but that we hope it’s true.  Even so, we talked about how everyone is human.
Therefore, we should be careful not to put any person on a pedestal because none of us are perfect.
That’s why our eyes should always remain on our Savior.

Take Action!
Teachable moments are all around, especially through media, if we just keep our eyes, ears, and minds open to them.

Are you ready to tackle parenting with Scripture like an American Ninja Warrior?
With our Savior’s help, we will make it to the finals! 

Pray for opportunities,
keep Parenting with Scripture: a Topical Guide for Teachable Moments on hand
to quickly and easily find  Scripture to fit the teachable moment topic,
and
enjoy the fruit of helping your kids connect God’s Word to their world!

Clicking on the picture will take you to NBC’s American Ninja Warrior Site.