For a Christian, the decision to pursue a career in law for the right reasons is not easy. It can’t be for the money. It also can’t be for the prestige. It can’t even be for the beam of pride in your parents’ eyes when they mention to a family friend that their child is going to be an attorney.

It has to be for God. But what does that even mean? How do you know if it is God that has planted the seed of interest and not all those reruns of Law&Order?

I don’t claim to know the ultimate answer to that question. However, as a second-year law student, I’d like to share some of the issues I wrestled with in deciding to become a lawyer.

First of all, law is different.

Doctors save lives. Dentists fix teeth. Social workers help people. Lawyers help people too. They help people get richer or get revenge. At least that’s the stereotype. With law more than other professions, industry norms tend to be opposed to Christian values. For example, the ethical requirements for lawyers are nearly all permissive as opposed to aspirational. Generally speaking, lawyers may do things in conformity with their morals and values, but will not be punished if they don’t. Instead of holding lawyers to a higher standard of conduct, the ethical requirements of the profession set a very low floor. These rules are just one illustration of the myriad conflicts Christian lawyers face when attempting to live Godly lives even when doing so may give your adversary key advantages and compromise your ability to do your job well.

So, now you may be thinking: “Okay, well, I want to help people with law and law school is a necessary step (evil?) to achieving that end.” Here, I would ask for more specificity regarding the exact “end” to be “achieved” and would also gently suggest that individuals and movements that coalesce around their ability to raise funds, increase awareness, and “instigate change” are well-intentioned, but without God, are bound to fail. Being a part of the Transformasphere movement should mean allowing God and God alone to change the world through us as opposed to “doing good” under the banner, or even idol, of our own achievement.

Ultimately, the point I want to make is that it is imperative we allow God to continually search our motives and be honest with ourselves about the reasons underlying the desire to pursue a legal career. In the same way as no one else is taking your 1L exams, no one else can decide that law school is right for you.

That being said, studying law can be immensely rewarding if done for the right reasons. Law is unique because it impacts other spheres besides government and politics—e.g. commerce and corporate governance or contract law, healthcare and medical malpractice or insurance law, arts and media, religious institutions and the first amendment, just to name a few. The legal profession needs people who will knowingly enter the fray for the sole purpose of glorifying God. Nothing can compare to the confidence we have when we know God is on our side and wants us to succeed on His terms and for His purposes.

Finally, surrendering to God is a continuous act of obedience. Even though I don’t know the specifics of how God intends to use my law degree to glorify Him, I try to remind myself to be like the servant who multiplied his master’s talents. The Lord said to him, “You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.” (Matthew 25:14-28).

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Megan Low is a member of HMCC and is completing her second year of law school at the University of Michigan.