Who is Mr. Womack?

Throughout my days, I will hear this :

"Hey, Mr. Womack" or just "Womack."

This is because I am a teacher. I don't know who decided the title Mr, Mrs, or Miss is required for teachers, but that is how it has been and is most likely how it shall continue. Forever. And ever. Amen. I guess I will have to get used to it

The funny thing is, I NEVER wanted to be a teacher. I say this without any hesitation. When my friends and I were getting ready to venture off into the "real world of adulting" after high-school, I was that one guy who refused to go to ANY college. I was going to play music and had plans of "rock stardom" as a my career.

Not to mention I hated school. I hated my high school experience. And my middle school experience. Why in the world would I KEEP going to school? I certainly loved music, but a degree in it would only lead to a job in the very place I loathed - as a teacher. Teaching was the only job a music degree would most likely offer me, and THAT sounded utterly insane to me.

Fast forward quite a number of rotations around the sun, and I am now a music teacher.

I never sought it out. I never asked for it. I was literally called up one day by a principal and they asked me to start a guitar program and hired me as part-time guitar teacher. I had given a few private lessons over the years, but never would think to teach 20+ students at one time!

But I did. And it worked. The students liked it. The parents appreciated it. That meant that the school loved it! By the end of that first year, the school offered me a full-time position. Still teaching guitar, but also launching an AVL class, overseeing productions, and teaching general music.

And I love it.

God really does have a sense of humor!

Sure, there are days that are long and arduous. Even the best of students have their bad days! Yet, I am impacting the lives of a few hundred young people on a weekly basis and all with the power of music and words. This is a massive responsibility and a great opportunity to make a serious impact in this world.

It's incredible to see young minds make a connection when you explain something in a different way. When it clicks. To see the light bulb come on. When young one's faces light up as you explain seemingly simple things such as drums, guitar, horns, mics. When budding musicians and singers start to realize thier potential to not just be a spectator, but to become a partaker or better yet, a creator of music.

These are powerful moments, but this is only the beginning.

Through the music, I have had the opportunity to minister to these young minds about the lyrical content of the music they listen to. The songs are always "school appropriate," but they can still have quite heavy, dark, or plain evil subject matter. God has allowed me to minister and speak life to these young minds in such a way that it makes the music side of it seem so insignificant.

Yet, it is the music that has made it all possible.

When I fell in love with playing in a band, I thought I knew the power of music. I thought selling out concerts and writing smash hits would be the way to make an impact and leave my mark. Turns out, the very thing I was running from, was actually where I needed to be.

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What are your thoughts? Have you ever run from something, only to end up loving it?