I know this could get a little cheesy. And I know some people will choose to think it’s silly. But if I lived and wrote for those people the only thing I would ever write is just my signature on receipts.
College is a time of growth. Of learning in and outside the classroom. Of meeting new people and of opportunities for new experiences.
Some of my new experiences in college include, but are not limited to:
-smoking a cigar (sorry Dad)
-kayaking
-doing ALL of my own laundry
-eating ramen noodles (I know, right?)
-being a one-time guest on the university radio (DJ Arya in the house)
-visiting Georgia
-trying fried pickles
-shotgunning a beer (I have only decreased in ability since my first time, I’m ashamed to say)
-standing in front of a crowd of 500+ peers to introduce some bomb diggity comedians
-finally understanding what Greek life is
-witnessing grace firsthand
Let’s take it back a bit. I joined my sorority my sophomore year after seeing the community and friendship it had brought my roommate our freshman year and wanting that for myself. A family away from home, plus cute clothes and the status of being a Greek on campus.
I had unrealistic dreams of what might happen after going Greek:
Become a size 4 in the first semester? (Ha.)
Meet my future husband so I could graduate with a BA and a Mrs. degree? (Ha Ha).
Go on like, SO many dates with fraternity boys? (ha ha HA).
Never have a bad hair day? (I should really be a stand up comic).
Things I found instead:
How to take the perfect “candid” photo.
The strength to stand (in heels or not) for 14+ hours and hold a conversation with anyone.
A network of people to comfort me and build me up and support me.
Greek Impact, the Greek branch of CRU, and the awesome Jesus-loving Greeks it holds.
My first semester in my sorority I got in a bit of trouble with the University. I worried I would be kicked out of my sorority. I didn’t know who I was anymore. I didn’t know what I was living for and I didn’t know what I was doing in life. Looking back now, I can see how hard my heart was sophomore and freshman year. I have the most clear memory of breaking down in front of my sorority chaplain the first or second Bible study of the semester and spilling everything. She sat, listened, gave me the occasional pat or hug, and when I was done said one thing: “can I pray with you?”
“Can I pray with you?” Not, “well this sucks” or “wow you screwed up” or “huh… not my problem.” Utter love towards me, essentially still a stranger. That, combined with how my friends from home reacted and how friends react now when I look back on this time, was a definition of grace. I wasn’t scolded and they certainly didn’t punish me. I felt 100% comfortable in my sorority and with my friends, something I hadn’t ever felt. It was a stark reminder of how I need to turn to prayer first more often. But more importantly, I saw Jesus through all these people.
As Greeks, we face a lot of criticism, because when a small number of us do something terrible, it reflects on the thousands of us involved in Greek life. But also as Greeks, most of us are striving for something better than what we have. We have aspirations and goals. We stick up for one another and don’t judge other brothers & sisters for whatever it is we did the night before.
Because we can’t judge others. We aren’t called to judge other people. But don’t just take my word for it:
“Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died- more than that, who was raised- who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.” | Romans 8:38
OH, or, one of my personal favorites:
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your bother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” | Matthew 7:3-5
Yes, this is easier said than done. Yes, we all know some Greeks who disregard this to the best of their ability. Yes, at the end of the day we don’t want to be judged for anything at all.
When you go through recruitment, you are supposed to go in with a clear mind about each house- no stereotypes, no rumors, no mindset. But we are human and more imperfect than we can even imagine and we don’t do that at all.
Now here’s what dawned on me one afternoon: Jesus Christ died to save us and give us a clean slate. A clean slate that God sees and loves. And we’ll scratch it up sometimes because we’re human, but the beauty of grace is that we have been and will be forgiven if we truly believe & ask. God doesn’t turn his back to us because he heard that rumor about that one mixer last semester. God doesn’t disregard us because we lied to a PNM or repeatedly drank underage. He knows we’re going to fail, and not be perfect, and we aren’t called to be perfect (still daily reminding myself of that one). The parable of the prodigal son isn’t just a heartwarming tale, it’s real life of God’s unconditional love and our human stupidity.
If you’ve stayed with me so far, you deserve 5 gold stars because this is a lot of writing and no .gifs for someone to read on the internet.
But I don’t have 5 gold stars to give you, here’s 5 more ways I’ve seen Jesus through Greek Life:
1) You know that whole thing about Jesus eating with lepers and the outcasts of society? Well we all know Greeks throw good parties- parties that are mostly praised for debauchery and ‘legends’ and full of people who need to know drunken Thursday-Saturday nights are not where you find worth. Or in keg stands. Or in hook ups. Drunk conversations are not meant to con your sister into giving her life for Christ, but they are a stepping stone in helping her pursue Christ.
2) Jesus spoke to crowds of people. But he had his 12 disciples that he poured so much into and had much closer friendships with. At least on the USC campus, our sororities have upwards of 300 members. I’ve spoken to all of my sisters, but I have a handful that I have those close 1-on-1 relationships with. To put it in modern terms, you wouldn’t Instagram a picture with every single sister- you Instagram the ones who know everything about you. You cultivate those relationships- they don’t use ‘you’ll find your bridesmaids’ as a selling point loosely during recruitment. #RideorDie
3) So many of these organizations were built on Christian ideals- love, loyalty, selflessness, brotherhood, aspiring to the highest we can be. Take a look back on the core values your founding members chose- or even your motto. Founded upon a rock? Hello Matthew 7:25
4) Proverbs, and several other books in the Bible, talk about friendship and being a friend, and relationships and the importance of friends vs romantic interests. If Proverbs 17:17, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity,” doesn’t sum up how we are supposed to care for our fellow Greek members, then I don’t know what we’re doing.
5) Finally, guys, I just really can’t stress the grace I’ve seen. And it breaks my heart to know that not everyone has seen the same grace that I was shown. When are sins are forgiven, it doesn’t take away the consequences we still have to deal with, but we take that experience and learn and grow from it. There is a difference between not needing to feel guilty in life and being shameless. These are lessons I’m daily learning, not theories to be thrown at you.
I’m not a pastor, I’ll never go to seminary, but I love me a weekly Bible study and coffee dates to discuss life. If this is how much I’ve grown in 3 years and have seen Jesus in only a small setting, can you imagine what the rest of the world must be like?
