“Before I formed you in the womb I knew, before you were born, I set you apart” (Jeremiah 1:5 )
Every time I read this passage, I am bewildered by its complexity, particularly in how it pertains to my personal life. Granted, Scripture should always be read and understood in context, in this case the calling of Jeremiah the prophet, yet I can’t seem to evade the reserved thought that this passage is somehow also talking about me. Whenever I reflect on my twenty-seven years of life, I always believe that God wrote my story, to the point of even naming me and setting me apart, as he birthed me out of grace.
There are several mentions in the Bible where God names a child from birth or changes it according to his call and purpose. I posit that I have been the recipient of such a name change and have witnessed its powerful impact. Just a few months before I was born, my mother decided to change my name to Tsega, a word which means “God’s grace” in Amharic. Additionally, my father decided to forego the Ethiopian tradition of giving a child the father’s first name as their last name, but instead gave me my grandfather's name, Shiferaw. All things considered, I am confident my Father in heaven was the one prompting my parents to make those changes that consequently left a lasting impression.
As a seven-year-old, I remember speaking with my dad in our backyard about what my future holds. That conversation led to him telling me that I reminded him of his own father who was an attorney in Ethiopia. Prior to that moment, I knew nothing about my grandfather except his name. I did however know how much my father loved his own father, and I felt special that I carried a part of him with me everywhere I went. I took pride in the fact that I would one day follow in his footsteps and become an attorney as well.
However, I had no idea that the journey God would take me on, to reach that goal, would be one that primarily shaped my spiritual life.
Running from God…
When God writes our story it is never in a way that paints us as the hyper-independent protagonist. It took me years to understand that the Son of Man did not come down to Earth to be revered and honored but to serve and give his life away as a ransom. As an undergraduate student at the University of Maryland, I chose to be disobedient and ignorant of who God was to me. I understood he was my Lord, but the idea that he was my savior never clicked. My misunderstanding of grace and forgiveness led to me turning my back on God. I was convinced that until I had cleansed myself and learned how to be blameless, I was not worthy of a relationship with Christ. This twisted perception of God’s identity resulted in me acquiescing to different vices and working hard to achieve success on my own. I found myself in toxic environments, while still finding a way to excel academically and professionally. During these assumed moments of success, I failed to give God any credit, and mistakenly thought I was invulnerable.
Despite my unhealthy life choices, I went through college virtually unscathed. Upon graduation, I went on to work as a paralegal, albeit still full of pride and arrogance. In the midst of my “prosperous” season, I began applying to law schools in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. I was convinced that I would be accepted to my top choices and had no doubt in my own ability. Unaware, I began experiencing personal challenges and was triggered with feelings of emptiness. Although I had reservations of attending church, due to feelings of inadequacy, I was drawn to a young-adult Bible study that met at my childhood church. It was on a random Tuesday in October of 2016 when the pastor asked me if he could pray for me. Being a lukewarm believer, I reluctantly agreed as Pastor Paul Hanfere shared with me that God wanted me to trust him with my decision making. I was faced with a very personal and important resolution that day, and rather than trusting God, I chose to be selfish and chose my own way. The outcomes were some of the worst months of my life.
But God was not done writing my story!
Between January and May of 2017, I went through a tumultuous season as I experienced disappointment in my personal and professional life by being rejected from schools, I was sure I would be accepted into. But God was not done with me and made it known by prompting Pastor Paul to reach out and pray for me. His intentionality led me to attend one of the women’s Bible studies. On May 13th, while listening to a teaching by Pastor Christina Hanfere, I was moved by an Illustration she shared about Lot’s wife, a biblical character who ignored God’s warning to not turn back to the prosperous but licentious city of Sodom and Gomorrah she was told to leave, as it would lead to her death. Regrettably, Lot’s wife turned into a pillar of salt because she coveted to return to her past, and this painted a daunting image for me, as I battled with my own longings for a life of immoral self-indulgence. When Pastor Christina prayed over the women that day, I knew I was no different than Lot’s wife.
On the outside, my life and experience seemed fruitful according to the world’s standards, but in reality, it was empty and unprincipled.
Meanwhile, I was receiving one rejection letter after another. The only good news I received was being wait-listed by one of my top choices and an acceptance letter from a school I was uninterested in. Being the hyper-independent and prideful person I was, I chose to wait for the school that wait-listed me rather than attend a school I felt I could not take pride in. That summer of waiting led me to attending church semi-regularly and while I kept one foot in the world and one foot in the house of God, he began to capture my heart. On July 23, 2017, after hearing a sermon titled, “Walking Out the Life you Preach,” I was convicted to respond to the pastor’s call to give my life to Christ.
That summer was the beginning of a different outlook on life. I truly felt lighter when I gave my life to Christ, but God was also starting to refine me. A process that did not begin with being spoiled with material things, even though I was certain that I would get off the waitlist for one of the law schools after another pastor told me, “God wants you to go as far in school as you want to go.” As an immature believer, I thought God worked on my time and was genuinely confused when I did not hear from the law school.
As much as I yearned for the fulfillment of that prophetic word, what I needed in the interim was discipleship.
God humbled me to go through the law school application process again, but this time I did it by his guidance. I allowed God to lead me in my schedule and I even quit my job, so I would have more time to grow in studying the word of God and also have enough time to study for the LSAT. Although I had changed my entire approach, I still found myself experiencing the same exact series of events. I was rejected from multiple schools, waitlisted by one of my top choices, and accepted by the school I didn't know much about. On the surface this season was no different than the year before, but this time God was revealing to me that I erroneously valued the opinions of others instead of his. I was so focused on the name and prestige of the school that I almost gave up on law school altogether. Ultimately, God gave me peace about my decision and unlike the last time I chose to trust him, and I chose to follow his guidance.
Doing it with God…
The decision to do it God’s way was one I am forever thankful for. My second round of law school applications were saturated in prayer, and God commissioned me through his holy Scripture, which stated,
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy” (Proverbs 31:8-9).
This chapter of Scripture was one I was very familiar with, because of the depiction of the famous “Proverbs 31 Woman,” which begins in the tenth verse. But on that specific day, the two preceding verses were highlighted to me. God’s word helped me see my true identity, the way God designed me, the way God knows me to be, and reminded me how growing up I would advocate and speak up for my two brothers, one of whom has Autism and cannot speak.
These verses stayed at the forefront of my mind when I started law school in August 2018, at the University of the District of Columbia, David A. Clarke School of Law. During my orientation, as I heard the school’s motto, "Practice Law. Promote Justice. Change Lives," I knew in that moment why God had brought me to UDC. I spent the next three years in the healthiest law school environment, surrounded by like-minded individuals that wanted to change the world for the better.
I cannot help but think that if God was not writing my story, and continuously remolding me like the Potter with the clay, written about in Jeremiah 18, I don’t know who or where I would be right now. I have now graduated law school and have the privilege to serve alongside amazing men and women of God at Overflow City Church. But none of this would have been possible had I not surrendered my life to Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. I pray you understand how much God truly knows you and positions you intentional in every season for your own good, so that you may ultimately live a life of purpose and bring him glory, as you choose to trust him.
Tsega Shiferaw is a disciple of Christ called to be a voice for the voiceless and advocate for all those in need. Tsega is passionate about sharing the gospel with everyone and currently serves in the Next Generation Ministry at Overflow City Church.