“One day you will tell your story of how you overcame what you went through and it will be someone else’s survival guide.” (Anonymous)

Being a trial lawyer is challenging. It’s a battle. A battle inside and outside the courtroom. One must be cautious to not let the outcome of the battle inside the courtroom dictate the victor in the battle outside the courtroom. The battle outside the courtroom is the most crucial. It’s a battle within yourself— a war of whether or not you have measured up.Identity. It boils down to identity. You have to go back to your identity in Christ. Your miscalculations will shout at you in the face. Sometimes, you would question yourself: is this really what I toiled for years in law school? Is it really worth it? Then the battle continues. Will you succumb to depression? Will you stand up and continue the fight? Will you endure a sleepless night again? How will you stop this battle? Go back to who you are in Christ. Your real identity is in Christ. Stop trusting yourself and your efforts. Rest in Him. Make Christ and His finished work your foundation. No one can shake Him. Nothing. Even when you take a wrong turn in life, God is still with you. He has never left you, and He never will. You don’t have to prove that you measure up. Keep on walking. God is not moved by what’s not moving. The lyrics of this song never fails to help:

“You see worthless but I see priceless
You see pain, but I see a purpose
You see unworthy, undeserving
But I see you through the eyes of grace
When you see wounded, I see mended
I’m making all things new
And I will make a miracle of you”

PSALM Ministry is also helpful. After a series of long days, it is an avenue where I can pour my heart out and not be judged. It is a place where you can be totally genuine—victories, flaws and all, and still be accepted and loved. PSALM is family. It is home.
I believe that God raised me for such a time as this to be the voice of the broken, neglected and disadvantaged. It was my dream when I was 6 years old. It is my calling. My purpose. It was bought with a price — Jesus’ blood. Hence, no one—no situation has the right to dictate otherwise. The battle is the Lord’s. Grace had started it, grace will finish it, and grace shall take care of the in-between.

Atty. Jhailey Villacura

PSALM Lay/ PSALM Bukidnon BOD Member