On Becoming a Lawyer: Booming Laughter and Fathers’ Dreams

“Magistrate!” followed by long bursts of laughter was what always characterised visits from my dad’s friend. At that time of course, I had no idea what the word actually meant, all I knew was that he was some sort of law officer and a dear friend of my father. Don’t worry, this isn’t a story about a child who follows the dreams of her father to become a lawyer, it is less complicated than that, it is the story of a child who found and continues to find her own way.

My story starts like almost every child’s with the “what do you want to be when you grow up” question. It isn’t until we’re grown that we realise how heavy a question that can be. Especially when we’re grown and still don’t know what we want to be. But as a child, the question is carefree, asked by smiling adults who know far too much than we could ever realise. From when I could remember, I never wanted to be a doctor, which was quite a popular answer (and still is today). I would eventually say I wanted to be different things “banker, spy, lecturer etc.” Dramatic, I know!

I didn’t start the journey of self-discovery until my senior secondary school days when I began to wonder about my place in the world. Such is the way of man, to wonder about meaning and purpose and I was no exception. What always drove me was that I wanted to live a life of purpose, I wanted to live a life of significance, I wanted to wake up every morning and do something fulfilling and so the journey began.

People always say start with your passions, with what you’re good at but what if you aren’t good at anything? What if you don’t feel passionate about anything? I felt that way a lot as a young child and I felt lost. I’ll pause here to say that getting into a relationship with Jesus brought me to a place of peace and wholeness. I realised that the emptiness we feel is just a God-shaped hole in our heart and when we accept Him, we become whole.

Okay back to my story. I love words, I’ve loved words ever since I can remember. I would read my dad’s newspapers and when he discovered my love for books, he bought me Chimamanda Adichie’s ‘Purple Hibiscus’ for my 10th birthday (which I’ve read at least 3 times) and other books. It was settled then, I loved books but I wasn’t a writer, a nonfiction one anyway. So it was a no-brainer for me to choose art class when it was time to do so. I left physics and chemistry (I wish I could’ve left maths too hehehe) for the would be doctors and I embraced Literature and Christian Religious Studies (what greater combination of words than the Bible eh!) with all of my heart. And let me tell you, I loved every single minute of it.

But still, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to be and when I heard that God could reveal your life’s purpose to you, I was so excited. I began the process of asking Him as often as I could, especially when I would feel out of place again. I continued to ask even as I received my admission to study law in the university. My dad was glad. As an art student in Nigeria, law is one of the most prestigious things you could ever study and lawyers are generally respected for their knowledge and probably their robe and wig. 😄

My first day of class, as our Dean welcomed us, I kept imagining jumping out of the window and running far far away and never looking back. I still didn’t know what I wanted to do. But I loved my time as a law student, the knowledge gathered and the relationships forged. I appreciated my lecturers, especially the ones who taught us with great passion as you could almost hear the love for the law in their voices and see it on their faces. So I thought I would become a lecturer and teach law. I love academics (a nerd I know). I loved when I would get to explain to my classmates plus I had always respected the profession since it was my father did. I told my friends to call me “Prof” (Short form of professor). I would later dump this ambition too.

As a law student, one of the greatest lessons I learnt was that the law could be used to create good in the world. I loved that. I know sometimes the profession could be presented as being flashy but I truly believe this is the root of it, doing good. And so I decided maybe I would become a politician, I could use the power of the law to change the world for good. I, however, woke up one day and realised I didn’t even actually like politics. So, I decided I should probably become a human rights lawyer but that was for only a short period.

This journey to becoming a lawyer for me has been a very unique one. I’ve seen and understood the possibilities that lie in this ancient profession, I’ve seen the hurts it could rectify and the hurts it could cause. I’ve respected and I’ve loved and I’ve come to have a deep appreciation for the law. In my journey of self-discovery, I’ve come to realise that your purpose isn’t just the job you have, although you can experience purpose in your job, it goes deeper than that. You can walk in your purpose in every area of life; your relationships, your job, your hobbies. Everything can be something meaningful. My purpose I’m learning, is to please God and bring Him glory, it is to represent Him wherever I go and it is to live my life forever in praise of Him.

So, I now walk in purpose as I enter into the final phase of my becoming a lawyer journey because I have a deeper understanding than I did all those years ago. I walk in purpose through my writing, I walk in purpose as I read words, I walk in purpose as I pursue other passions and giftings and I do it with a sense of gratitude because oh the joy of finally starting to figure life out.

As I said, my journey to becoming a lawyer though unique isn’t complicated. It is simply the story of a child looking for purpose, influenced by her father’s support and the nudgings of the world. I learnt along the way that it’s okay to change your mind and to desire more or something different as you discover what really matters in life. Thank you Lord for this journey. To everyone on this journey or wanting to go on this journey, all I can is forge your own path, it will be worth it at the end.

Feature Image by biyo.