Taught by the Best


The older I get, the more thankful I am for my education, all 32 years of it to date.  Starting with my parents, Sunday school teachers, pastors, preschool, primary and secondary teachers, college professors, mentors, and the fantastic doctors and nurses I worked alongside, the list is long.  The number of people who have invested themselves into my life is staggering.  With each passing year I am little by little coming to realize the full value of the wealth of knowledge and wisdom that was passed onto me through so many people’s lives. 

My parents are celebrating their 30 something anniversary this weekend.  What I learned from them about a good marriage, communication, love, child-rearing, and simple faith is priceless.  It guides me every day.  There is not a day that goes by where I do not hear their wise words as I try to live as a Godly mother and wife in my home.     In this past year I have helped to teach classes on marriage, parenting, and Biblical womanhood.  My 30+ years of life experience do not qualify me to talk on these subjects nor does my personal wisdom.  But facing a room full of women who have had none of the Godly mentoring, parenting, or teaching from God’s word that I was blessed to grow up under I realized how much I had to share. 

This year I took a new job.  ½ of that job places me in a high school science laboratory setting up lab experiments and mixing chemicals for 3 very qualified science teachers.  I never envisioned a job like this and certainly didn’t seek it out.  The prospect of it absolutely terrified me.  But to my surprise, it’s not as overwhelming as I had thought.  I am thankful every day for Mr. Wood and Mr. Nelson who poured their hearts into teaching me the amazing wonders of science in high school.  They taught me so well, that 15 years later I can still remember enough to get the job done. 

The other ½ of my job is as the school nurse.  Most of that involves caring for skinned knees, headaches, tummy aches, and nose bleeds.  But just a few weeks into the year now I have also had some less than minor situations come my way.  One in particular was one of the most acutely ill children I have ever cared for and it took every ounce of my training to make it through those few hours.  We don’t live in a place where the ambulances arrive fast and the hospitals are reliable.  But I learned critical thinking from a team of nursing instructors, ER nurses, and doctors who are incredible professionals.  Each one of them taught me how to think on my feet, how to really assess a patient, and how to use all of my available resources.  They gave me an amazing gift.

With each passing year as I encounter new cultures, jobs, responsibilities, stages of life, relationships, and life situations, I find that someone somewhere has already imparted to me the wisdom that I need to face the challenge. So many of these people along the way I did not fully appreciate or even really notice.  It’s only as the years are passing and I come up against something I hadn’t expected that I realize the value of what I’ve been given.  And along with that realization comes the deep and overwhelming gratitude to a God who sees so far ahead, a father who has already written my story.  Woven into each chapter and throughout the whole plot have been characters whose value wasn’t immediately apparent.  But as the plot unfolds I can see how each and every detail was orchestrated to perfection.  How amazing. 


If you are one of those people who took your precious time to teach me, then from the bottom of my heart, I want to say thank you.  God has used you in my life in ways I could never have imagined and I am so thankful for your sacrifice of love.  I would put a list of names, but it would be forever long and I would inevitably forget someone.  So I will just trust that God will bless you for your willingness to invest in one of His children.  He didn’t miss the importance of it even if I did.  

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