Sometimes You Have to Go through Hell to Get to Heaven
"I want you to be smart in the same way -- but for what is right -- using every adversity to stimulate you to creative survival, to concentrate your attention on the bare essentials, so you'll live, really live, and not complacently just get by on good behavior." -- Luke 16:9, The Message
Things may not go according to plan, but God help me, things will go forward. I have faced adversity from opposing attorneys, from judges, from opposing parties, and even from the circumstances of my own clients. I'm not ready to engage in any kind of "reality tv" confessional-type stories here and now, though I've got plenty of stories, but I will say this: I got through all of it. And in the name of justice, and in the service of my clients, I'll get through more.
Think about this: how do you know what grade you've earned until you take the test? It's the same with life. As I've advised my clients: "sometimes you have to go through hell to get to heaven." There's nothing wrong with that, so just keep walking.
And to the opposing attorneys who play games or act all tough, you're just fronting, you're nothing but soft and scared underneath it all. It's okay, I love you as a brother or sister.
And to the judges who may be having a bad day, not wanting to give anyone a chance to talk, or even worse not really listening to the attorneys and real people with their few minutes in Court, I get it, you're human too, a sinner just like me and every other person in the courthouse, in this city, or anywhere in this whole world. It's okay, I love you too as an elder brother or sister.
Let's all take our respective tests and learn from them so that we're better prepared for the next one, understanding that we're not perfect, thus we need to be forgiving of ourselves and each other. May our judges be better judges by being better listeners, not jumping to conclusions or plugging individuals into paradigmatic fact patterns. May our attorneys be better advocates by working for the principle of what is right and just, using their power and influence for justice, not to intimidate others by any degree or even hint of arrogance. May we all be better people, respecting one another and loving one another as brothers and sisters.
Instead of bringing you down, may every adversity bring you up!