Well, law school orientation is over and, to be honest, I had an unexpected blast from the past. It felt more like the first day of high school that what I would have expected the first day of professional school to feel like. For sure, everyone was nice. But it still seemed like I was at a fashion show of the latest styles from Abercrombie and J. Crew, and all the posturing made me sick. I heard more name-dropping, school boasting, and summer internship flouting than I ever have before. I must admit, for a brief period of time, I got wrapped up in it. Then I realized what I was doing.
The words of Paul from Philippians 3:7-9a came to my mind, “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him….” I was not, “counting everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” I was, like the rest of my class, seeking to find my identity, my value in the things that I had accomplished to date: schools, degrees, awards.
I was once again struck with the reality that these students, the supposed “best and brightest” were floundering to articulate their self-worth to everyone they meant because, despite the outward appearance of success, they felt worthless and empty. You could almost feel the emptiness of their souls as accomplishments, schools, awards, scholarships, and the like spewed forth from their mouths. My heart was saddened as I realized what was happening and witnessed two full days of it. I pray that I might be used of the Lord to reach some of these people with the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ so they too might know the joy of “being found in Christ” and “not having a righteousness of their own.”
Gentlemen, may we never fall into the trap of believing that anything we do, or can do, can ever surpass the value of knowing Christ Jesus as our Lord. Let our glory be in Chirst Jesus, our boast in the cross, and our hope looking toward the resurrection of our bodies on the glorious day of our Lord’s return.
2 comments:
I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Keep us posted on how the first week goes.
As I was reading last night I saw this and thought of your situation. 2 Cor. 5:11-15 says "Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God. ; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake dies and was raised.
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