Was I A Christian
Tonya Dansby
Neither my husband nor myself remember not being Christians. We were
both raised in Christian families. Charlie even went to a private
Christian school for a stint. We were in our mid to late 20s when we
started dating. The evening of our first date, Charlie asked me if I
was a Christian. Many people would find this insulting, I mean, can’t
you tell I’m a Christian? Am I not doing a good enough job showing my
love of Christ through my works? I wasn’t offended though. You see, my
best friend also asked me the same question in one of our first
conversations. I knew that to have a truly Godly relationship, GOD had
to be present in both participants’ lives. When Charlie asked me my
beliefs, I knew he was the man for me. Few men that I knew wore God on
their sleeve and were comfortable enough to speak about Him. We stayed
up late that night talking about everything; that was the first of a
lifetime of discussions. We got married 11 months later in a
beautiful ceremony in my hometown’s United Methodist Church. We lived
the life we felt we were expected to live. He got a good job in his
chosen field (graphic design) and I taught Special Education and later
became an Assistant Principal at a large high school. We had a sweet
daughter whom we loved dearly. Most would say we had it all but sadly,
we found something was missing. We were always on the go. Charlie
didn’t get home until it was time for Ainsley to go to bed. Our
lengthy discussions now existed over cell phones on Charlie’s commute
home through Houston traffic. Gang problems were escalating at my high
school and I was really questioning if I wanted my little girl to be
in the district I worked in, though that was what was expected. We
started praying for direction. Much of Charlie’s family was from the
Waco Area. In the 1850’s, his Great-great….Grandmother settled
Mosheim. Should we go back to his roots? More praying… A principal
position popped open in a small town near Waco and I applied. I was
hired the last day of school! Charlie applied for 4 jobs and ended up
getting 4 interviews (in one day!) and subsequently, 4 offers! Charlie
took a job at the large local paper as a marketing manager. Both of
our jobs gave us great opportunities to meet wonderful people in the
area. We bought a cute house on 10 acres and loved it. Our neighbors
were truly one of His gifts as well! God gives us opportunities
but that doesn’t mean he promises that they will be easy. It’s so
important we realize that just because we plan on unpacking and
getting comfortable, God doesn’t necessarily have the same plan in
mind. The principalship wasn’t everything I had hoped for and it never
truly “fit” my personality. We also kept thinking that another child
would be nice, but I don’t do the pregnancy thing well enough to work
on my feet all day. After 2 years and lots of praying, I quit my job
to be a stay at home mother. I started teaching college classes online
for a Christian university and quickly became pregnant. I loved being
room mom and getting to go on all Ainsley’s field trips. More praying…
What is your goal for me God? Where do I need to be? I know You
wouldn’t lead us here for no reason. I could have been a stay at home
mother in my hometown… Dalton was born and what a blessing! Oh how
we love this little boy!!! One day, when Dalton was 3 months old, my
father-in-law came to visit and asked me about something I had
mentioned a few years before – didn’t you once say you wanted to open
a driving school? Well, yes I had but was this the right time??? He
took out his checkbook and wrote a check for both Charlie and me
to go back to school and get certified to be instructors! Wow! What a
blessing indeed!!! I researched and researched how to open a
driving school and get trained to be an instructor. More praying… This
was tough. Texas driving schools were really closed off and didn’t
want to train outsiders. With much praying, I found my way. We opened
Central Texas Driving School in January of 2011. What an amazing trip
it has been. I’ve been able to combine all of my teaching skills,
administrative know-how, and curriculum writing into one terrific
career. I get to work with amazing kids everyday! Charlie was finally
able to jump in full time just when I was getting completely
overwhelmed with all of the kids and cars. Again, everything in God’s
time! I believe that so many people get frustrated with their
lives because they feel there is no option or they feel doors have
been closed in their faces. Perhaps doors have been shut but we all
have options. Sometimes God allows that door to close so that we can
search our hearts for that proverbial window. What kind of
accomplishments could we look back on when we’re 80 if we’ve never
struggled for anything? The fruit is so much sweeter after the
bitterness of rejection or frustration. Charlie and I are thankful
for the support of our friends and family as well as that of the
community. Most of all however, we are thankful to God for bringing us
together to make the perfect match. Both of us have different
strengths that when matched, creates an unstoppable team, both
personally and professionally!
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