Chances are, the minute you opened your bid on your bid day you were so excited for the sisterhood bond to come, thrilled to form bonds that would last a lifetime. Even if you won’t admit it, you were probably excited for other reasons, too. You were pumped for the t-shirts that rep your sorority letters, eager to change your Insta bio to state your affiliation and, most importantly, ready to have a whole new distinguishing factor to your identity. Suddenly you became Britta the Pi Phi or Hannah the ZETA, and people began to associate you by your affiliation.
Although those letters are, and should be, near and dear to your heart, they may also be the start to nasty YikYak wars comparing sororities, families being torn apart because someone did not follow the legacy and, most devastatingly, girls blocking girls out of their lives because they rushed another club.
While going through rush, I was uniquely blessed to have many close friends in different sororities. Baylor has second semester rush, so we are lucky to see those personal relationships grow more throughout the fall. My camp bestie became my real life bestie and her big welcomed me into her arms as her friend, as well. They were my rock and encouraged me in faith and in life. They did, in their own way, rush me on behalf of their sorority, but made it clear that they prayed I would find my home, not their home.
On pref night I cried with both of them, worried about how they would react if they knew I would pref another club over theirs. I knew both clubs were equally amazing, but truly felt my home was in another sorority. On bid day, I joined my new sisters for the best day of my life, sisters who did not include the two I had grown so close to leading up to this week. I will never forget how loved I felt running in those doors, hugging one of my other best friends who rushed me. However, the moment I will never forget was when my two friends from the other club surprised me in my new sorority room yelling. "My little angel is beautiful." They loved on me, congratulated me and joined the photo shoot. I got tears in my eyes when I felt their love and acceptance, despite my decision to go a different club. I couldn’t help but think this is how it should be. It should not matter.
You can still be friends with girls who are not in your sorority. As cliche as it sounds, this is something many have forgotten in our generation. Chances are there are some nice, funny, sweet girls in different sororities or girls who chose not to rush.
Being genuinely happy for people has almost become foreign, nowadays. It is natural to be upset if another club took a girl you desperately wanted in your club, but at the end of the day she found her own home. Be happy for everyone else and the fact that they found the place they felt they belonged.
At the end of the day, It is just a sorority. Although, I was the girl on bid night who thought maybe a tattoo of my sorority would be cute, but I opted out. It is crucial to remember that you are a part of a sisterhood, but also part of so much more. You all share the same amazing university, the same citizenship for the greatest country of the world and even more importantly, you are part of the same Kingdom of God. Don’t forget about that.
God never said, "Go and make Pi Phis of all the nations,” or Alpha Chis, or Chi Os. He said to make disciples. He told us to love one another because He first loved us. Your rain jackets may say different Greek letters and your Insta bios may not be the same, but you were all created by same Father who wants his creations to simply love one another.
At the end of the day, don’t let your letters be a deciding factor for your friendships. Don't forget to flaunt your heart just as much as you flaunt you comfort color XL tee.
