God called me to law school. I could not ignore that powerful voice: I knew it was Him and I felt His reassurance every day. I was excited but I knew it would be tough. A year later I was well into my first semester and challenges came fast and hot. A year after that, the challenges became discouraging: I began hearing critiques I had not anticipated. I had spent a lifetime building on strengths in public speaking, but the lawyers teaching trial and appellate classes constantly stressed my weakness: they called me “professor” because I was not a zealous advocate–or not zealous enough! Why? Because while I was a passionate advocate for my imaginary client, I was also willing to concede or admit the strengths of my opponents’ arguments. That is, I was trying too hard to be objective and unbiased.
All my life being “open-minded” had been a good thing, but suddenly I found myself in the one place on earth where it was a weakness: lawyering.
It sounds comical, I know, like a lawyer joke waiting for a punch line. But in reality, this was a significant problem: lawyers bear an ethical duty to zealously advocate for the interests of their clients. There is no duty to be neutral. There is no duty to be open-minded.
I remember on the nights before and after the appellate advocacy class, I worried about and regretted my performance in the course. Often while walking in tiny circles in my daughter’s room, rocking her to sleep if she would let me, I worried over my classes and my future career. Every night, a single verse came to my mind. I held on to it throughout law school—quoting it many times every day:
“Faithful is He who calls you, and He will also bring it to pass” 1 Thessalonians 5:24
I knew God called me. And I knew God was FAITHFUL. I kept telling myself that, kept reminding myself. I quoted the verse, I talked to Him. I reminded Him of His promise. I asked Him to help me and give me peace.
And He always did.
HE IS FAITHFUL.
When God calls you to something, He will be faithful to get you to the other side. He will bring it to pass. Hang on to His promises!
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