By Lauren Moustakas
Project Associate, G.L.O.B.A.L. Justice
“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God…These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.”
I never planned on going to law school. In fact, I specifically remember sitting in my Constitutional Law class in my undergraduate program thinking, “Thank goodness I never have to do this again.” “This” was spending hours reading and attempting to understand what on earth the Supreme Court meant by its decisions. I recently shared this story with my Constitutional Law professor and we had a laugh because, well, here I am in my second year of law school, taking Constitutional Law, and doing almost nothing but reading Supreme Court cases.
When I first I heard the call to attend law school, I had just started working at what I considered to be my dream job: working almost full time for G.L.O.B.A.L. Justice and supporting its programs and mission for biblical justice. It had been a journey for myself and for G.L.O.B.A.L. to arrive at this milestone and was what I thought God had purposed for me to do. When I distinctly heard God direct me to begin taking the steps to attend law school, less than a full year into my dream job, it was difficult to say the least, especially as it became clear that, not only was I to attend law school, but God was clearly directing me to attend a law school on the opposite side of the country in a place where my husband and I knew no one.
During this process of uncertainty, Hebrews 11 and its description of Abraham’s faith became and has continued to be a source of strength and encouragement for me. Like Abraham, I did not know where I was being called or had ever been to the state that I was to go to live and study law. I did not know the ultimate purpose in why God called me out of what I believed to be my dream job, assisting in the work of biblical justice for an incredible organization, to be a law student. While my heart is for the work of justice and to be an advocate on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves, I did not and still do not fully know what part I am to play in that work as a soon-to-be lawyer.
But the thing is, God knows, just as He knew the great nation that would be born from Abraham into the land that He would show Abraham. And while Abraham may have had some doubts, what Hebrews 11 describes is that Abraham obeyed by faith and took the steps that God was asking him to take, not knowing what the next step would be or what the ultimate end of the journey would look like. While I am no Abraham, his faith and this passage describing how he held onto the promise of God, has continued to be of great encouragement in my journey in law school. It has not been an easy journey — from selling three quarters of our possessions, leaving the home, family, and friends we loved, and to going to a place that was completely unknown to us.
Furthermore, once I started law school, I began to have significant headaches and other health issues and was shortly thereafter diagnosed with Lyme’s disease and other health complications, which affect my mind and body in unpredictable ways. I am getting the help that I need for my health, but there are days where it is very difficult to get out of bed, sit in class, read for my classes, or take a three-hour exam. There are many days where I am weary of not feeling well and having to expend greater time and energy into completing my studies for the day because my brain does not want to cooperate, but God has shown His faithfulness to me over and over again. From giving me the strength for that day, to allowing me to succeed on an exam or class, He has been faithful in this journey despite the difficulties. I am so thankful for this faithfulness and for the fact that, because of my illness, I can never claim to have accomplished my law degree, or whatever is next, on my own abilities or my own strength. It is only because of God and his faithfulness that I am on this journey, and any and all success that I have achieved is because of Him.
As a law student, a justice advocate, a wife, and a woman, one of the passages of Hebrews 11 that has especially spoken to me during this challenging season, is the description of how Abraham did not look back on the life that he left but was looking ahead to the “better country” even though it may have been more difficult at times to do so. My hope is that if God is calling you to do something about injustice, or calling you onto a path that you might have not considered to be yours, you will be encouraged even if you do not know exactly where you are going or if the prospective journey has been more difficult. I hope that the faith of Abraham is an encouragement to you as you step out in faith onto the path you have been called to walk in victoriously with His help and strength.