Ms. Denham

I recently had an idea for a unique kind of interview process in which I would go around and interview someone - anyone - with just one question: Tell me a story. This open-ended question leaves infinite room for an open-ended responses. The thought process behind the idea is in the intro of Manny if you're curious.

I went to an old friend with this question and Ms. Denham marks the third story in this series. I hope you enjoy.

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For my entire adolescence, I wanted to be a nurse. I never questioned this desire, in fact, I gripped it so tightly there was little to no chance any other occupational possibilities would even make it anywhere close to my heart.

So, as you can imagine, it was quite a shocker when I felt called to become a teacher during the last few months of my senior year in high school.

I still remember the day so vividly. I was in a class called “service learning” where high school students are given the opportunity to volunteer in an elementary level class. Honestly, I took the class because I heard it was easy and I was just trying to raise my GPA. I did not care about helping kids learn or have any interest in seeing what teaching was all about. Little did I know; this class would change everything for me. Jesus is clever like that. He’s always weaving His goodness into these small, obsolete, mundane moments. He is always writing bits and pieces of the bigger picture.

I didn’t feel Him very often in this season, but looking back now, I see just how present He was in every single detail.

I was placed in a fifth grade math class. If you know me, you probably know I despise math with every fiber of my being. However, I was placed with my former fourth grade teacher, so I didn’t dread it too much. On this particular day, I was sitting at a desk helping a student with his division homework or something (he probably knew more than I did) and I remember a subtle feeling coming into my heart.

I don’t really know how to describe it, but I do know it was the most content, peace-filled moment I have ever experienced. I sat back and thought, “you know… I think I could do this forever.”

It was right then and there, I decided I was going to be a teacher. The dreams I had of being a nurse just up and left. I threw them out of the window, just like that. They weren’t God-dreams. They were safe dreams. I wanted to be a nurse because I thought it would pay well and it was the only plan I had ever known. It was comfortable and secure. However, this newfound teaching dream, was not so comfortable and secure. It was new and challenging. I had no idea if I was even capable of teaching. I just knew God planted a seed and I wanted it to flourish. I just didn’t know how, yet.

I didn’t really think about what my family and friends would say, I just knew I was supposed to teach, and nothing else mattered. So, when people reacted with comments like, “don’t you want to do something that pays better?” or “You can do so much better than settling for a job like that” I just softly smiled and went about my day.

I’m now a junior in college. And while there are so many things I don’t know, there are a few things I do know for sure. I know I was made to teach high schoolers about Shakespeare and The Great Gatsby and everything in between. I feel it in my bones. It’s a God-calling and I’m going to take it and run like heck with it. There are days when I’m discouraged, thinking about my future paycheck or doubting my abilities. But I have never been more confident about anything in my life, than I am about this calling Jesus placed over my life. I know that He who promised is always faithful. I can find comfort in the unsure because of Jesus. I can rest in Him and know He placed this desire in my heart and He is giving me everything I need to see it come to fruition.

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Interviewer: Emily Christine

Storyteller: Lyndsie Denham