’Tis the Season.
Streets are blocked off. Large Uhaul rental trucks are circling and everywhere you turn (if you live near campus) women are all strangely dressed alike.
Yes, my friends, ’tis sorority recruitment season.
The last few years have brought entire social media channels dedicated to this crazy. NYT Best Sellers and now tv shows are showing us the insanity. You are either nodding in understanding or scratching your head trying to figure out HOW sorority recruitment meets up with Prize 31.
It’s because, well, it made me crazy.
Stupid crazy.
I lived a life of relative peace until my daughter was about to set foot onto campus than then, something I, nor those who know me, was unleashed.
I could not work. Did not eat. I reached out to women I have not spoken to in 25 years and begged, joined underground mom networks. The worst was when I asked my daughter to lie.
“I know they say you can’t have your phones, but that’s so you won’t call a friend and get discouraged. What I need you to do is to sneak your phone out of the basket, slide into a porta-potty and send me a picture of your daily schedule. Then, have your roommate do the same. I hear you that this is against the rules, but they don’t apply here. I’m helping you…” I told the girl.
I would like to say that this was the moment I snapped out of it, but it wasn’t. My guardrails had completely flown off—perhaps on one of the THREE 1,000 mile round trips I took during recruitment week just so I could give the girl a hug between rounds.
This is where it can get a bit confusing. Was I sinning? In asking the girl to lie, yes. While nothing else was technically wrong, what was wrong was the status of my heart. I went from a place of faith of listening to the Lord to guide footsteps to just loudly trampling all over over place guided by my own desires.
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.
Trust in the Lord forever for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal. Isaiah 26:3-4
Followed by
The path of the righteous is level; you, the Upright One, make the way of the righteous smooth. Isaiah 26:7
Praying makes it Ok, right?
Oh, there was praying, but it was not guided by the Lord and there absolutely was no peace.
However, as I look back at that time, what grieves me the most is how blinded I was by my own (good intentioned) motives. I just wanted my girl to have a place where she would belong—a place where she would grow, have friends and not feel lonely.
Kelly Minter reminds us that, “God’s calling is deeper than our plans, our dreams and even our loves.”
Let’s just sit here.
God’s calling. Deeper. Deeper than ANYTHING in us.
The Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their hands. Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled. Joshua 21:44-45
He never fails. He never abandons. He fulfills.
As I see the balloon festooned sorority porches, watch the dance videos and have my social media flooded with the OOTD, all I can do is thank the Lord for showing me, despite my crazy, that His plans are far better than ours.
Did He give me what I was fervently praying for that week? Yes. My daughter matched with the Thetas and although there were moments that came out of sharing that bond, they are NOTHING compared to the true bond that we share—the bond of Christ.
Her best friends were found while pursing Christ and deepest development came in quiet moments with Him and our greatest conversations and life-long memories grew out of sharing the goodness, kindness and faithfulness of the Lord.
Lord, I thank you for perspective and for guide rails that lead us back to you.
If you are chasing the shadow of the goodness of the Lord, the world’s fake version of what only the Lord can provide, please take this as a gentle redirection.
Mom’s Groups, Clubs, Organizations and even Sororities are not bad, but they can be when we start allowing our identity to be found in them. When they start stealing our peace, it’s a great sign that perhaps they hold too great a position in our hearts and it’s time to as the Lord for some heart work.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. Rom 8:28
Don’t beat yourself up if you too are slightly obsessed over something right now. The Lord can redeem it. He restores and renames.
Today, may you know know that you are called. You have purpose and serve a Lord who can give you ever so much more than anything the world can offer. He can give you Himself. Need some help in this, click here.
Come near to God and he will come near to you. James 4:8
In Him is where we truly find peace.
Enjoy!
