For Tasch...
Law school does something to a person. Regardless of what anyone might say, it's quite true that when an individual enters something like this experience, he or she will begin to change, for better or worse.
Recently, I've seen myself changing, and I hope the change constitutes a mark in the "for better" column. The change I've seen boils down to one question "An Orphan or a Queen?"
The old Testament story of Esther represents one of the oldest fairytale stories in existence, except, ah...breathe...wait for it, wait for it, every word is TRUE.
Esther's name comes from the Assyrian word "Ishtar" who represented a pagan deity of fertility. It means "star", and despite the pagan roots of her queenly name, a star she was, and is.
Her story resonates with Christians, especially young women who array themselves every day for a figurative "court", some it's med school, some law school, some teaching school, some being parents, others being children. She was a queen who broke the rules and entered the courts of the king without a summons, something punishable in those days by death.
She had been chosen to replace an obstinate queen who defied her husband's orders, and she became a bold and wise queen who defied her husband's protocol.
Before she was a queen, though, she had another label, and, another name.
She was born Hadassah, a name meaning "Tree of Laurels", and at some point in her life, sweet Hadassah became an orphan. The Bible says her uncle (or in some translations, cousin) Mordecai was called upon to raise her.
Hadassah grew up under Mordecai's care, and was later chosen to be among a group of "queen wanna be's" Her orphan status became obsolete in the palace, as she became just another girl vying for the king's affections, but let me tell you something, she didn't have to fight for those affections, for they were already hers. She was arrayed in fine clothes, given a crown, and lavished in the affection and luxury of a king.
Somewhere in there, though, she became aware of a plot stirring to destroy her people, and she knew, though she didn't want to admit it, that perhaps she was their only hope of escaping sure destruction. And so it was that she decided to do the unthinkable...break the rules.
She had a choice to make. On one hand, she could shirk her responsibilities of loyalty to her people and obey the stuffy protocol of royalty. If she made this choice, no one but her God would know any differently, but her people would face certain death. On the other, she could break the rules, she could remain ever loyal to her people, and her God, she could remember that her name was Hadassah once, and that the people she loved represented the people of the Most High God.
She had a choice to live her life as an orphan, feeling small and incapable of making change, without the royal signet on her finger, or as a queen, one with the affections and the amenities of the king at her finger tips. She chose the latter.
Law school reminds me of my own name, that it means "Honest Counselor", "Dweller in the Court" or "Attendant of the King" Law school reminded me this morning as I pulled on my boots and slipped on my glasses, that no one cares about my rank, including me, so long as my life glorifies the Lord. After lunch I was outside of the student center speaking with a professor and people passed me and high fived or hugged me at least five times. The professor stopped talking and said "Do you realize nearly every person coming in or out since we've sat here has either hugged or high fived you? I looked at him and smiled, "You get what you give, sir."
Law school has reminded me acutely that the Lord created many lives who started small and did mighty things, but all they had to be was willing. Willing to offer a hug, a high five, a chuckle or an ear. Willing to watch themselves transformed and to accept the King's plan for their lives. What He did not create was a bunch of people who created a system of legalistic plans for themselves. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, law school is teaching me how to break the rules.
Oh goodness, please calm yourselves, if you really think I break statutes, laws, or the like, you don't know me well, but, the status quo is not my friend. I, like Hadassah, hope to shatter every ounce of "normal" I might possess. Normal right now means over 8 million orphans, countless starving children, human trafficking from Dallas to Dhaka Bangladesh and back again, and a world where human life is devalued, placed in classes, numbered, and cast aside. NO WAY.
We serve a God ever more infinite than the status quo could ever be.
The question is: Do we know that?
I like to picture the queen, after her people are saved and her husband is dumbfounded to find her Jewish roots, I like to think she is arrayed in her finest, most beautiful dress, covered in the finest scents and oils, with her head on her husband's shoulder. I like to think he kisses her cheek and breathes in her radiance as she whispers "Oh, yes, my love, I think you should know, my name was Hadassah once."
I want to be like her, to live like the queen, but to remember, when I was yet an orphan, I was chosen to be anointed with His very best.
My name is Courtney, and by virtue of that name, I live always in His Courts.
May the same be true for you.
Psalm 84:10-11
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