"The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps" - Proverbs 16:9
If you've ever gone to church or youth group, chances are you heard going into college that greek life is not for those who have a faith and a love for the Lord. More than likely your pastor has the idea that it's all wild party girls running around in bikinis and frat dudes doing keg stands. I can gladly tell you that I have never witnessed either of these but I have seen my fair share of girls that have a few too many drinks and guys doing things they'll probably feel in the morning.
Coming into college I assumed that my faith would be tested slightly but that I would be okay. I assumed that I could be the one person who would never get caught up in the drinking and craziness that is college. I knew that there were lost souls to be saved and I was determined to save all 2,000+ students on my campus if they hadn't been saved already. Quickly I learned that I was going to be tested in ways that I would never imagine.
It started the week of recruitment. The first night I got cut from a house. It hurt but I knew it wasn't the place for me. The second night I got cut from my top house. At that point, I started to question if I wanted to finish the process or walk away from it all. I prayed and knew God wanted me to keep going because He knew exactly where was supposed to be and love for those sisters. Bid day ended up being such a blessing. I ran home to the most amazing women. I soon got sucked into a life of partying with sisters and vying for the attention of the cute frat brothers on campus. I thought I had to drink more and wear less to fit in. I lost sight of who I was and more importantly who my God was. There were nights the I would wear a cross necklace and always have a beer in my hand.
One morning after a few too many drinks and not enough Jesus, I woke up without any idea of what had happened the night before. An invitation from a sister to join her at an on-campus ministry soon followed after a long conversation about my night. I knew I probably needed to go so I decided to join her. The first night I went I began to feel the joy of the Lord again. I was soon invited to a Greek/Christian conference. By the Lord's work, I was able to get permission and the funding to go.
Being naive and ignorant, I just assumed that it would be a bunch of sorority women and fraternity men learning about leadership opportunities and maybe singing a worship song or two but I learned so much more. I was able to meet men and women from not only my chapter but other chapters who love the Lord so much and struggle in the same ways that I do. I learned that being greek could be one of the largest mission fields I could ever be in. I learned how to balance my social obligations with my faith. I learned about my need to minister to the entire greek community on campus. I learned that I needed to show my sisters Christ's love by loving on them.
My sisters are supposed to be my family. I know I want to spend not only my four years in college with them but also an eternity in Heaven with them. My sisters are the women I turn to when I'm failing my classes when I'm proud of an exam grade, and when I want to eat a pint of ice cream and watch Disney movies. I began to wonder why I had never thought about showing them the love of my Lord and Savior.
The weekend that I spent at the conference made me reevaluate what it meant to be a Christian and a Greek. There is no compromise to be made. I could be fully Christ-loving and fully a sorority girl. I want to love my sisters and love my God. Greek life is rooted so deeply in rich religious tradition and its time to go back to those roots.
