I am a teacher.

For me, that is not a statement of profession but a recognition of vocation. I feel called to teach. And probably like most calls, that can be a scary thing.  I’m not an expert who can upload gigs of information into peoples’ brains. I have not “arrived” in terms of professional or academic achievement. And sometimes I feel like I really need to learn so much more to deserve the right to be called someone’s teacher.

Recently, these have been some of the things that have been disturbing me. Am I good enough?  Am I being as responsible as I can with the opportunity to affect my students’ thoughts — and maybe even their lives?

And as I write this, I remember something we say when we talk about calls and vocation. Calls aren’t about being good. They are about being faithful… being faithful to the fact that you are the one being called.

There’s a story about a famous tenor who sang in an informal dinner of Jesuits. At the end of his performance, he got a standing ovation. By chance, an old Jesuit was in the audience, celebrating his 80th birthday. The audience somehow convinced the Jesuit to sing a song. He sang a croaky, pitchy rendition of the “Lord is my Shepherd.” At the end of his song, the audience was silent. The tenor took the mic from the old Jesuit and said, “I can sing the Lord is My Shepherd very well. But it’s very clear in your singing that you know Him.”

Calls are not about being the best or even being good. They are things we can do and say that can change people’s lives and “teach” them the important lessons we have learned — and we may not even know it. All we have to do is be faithful.