Sometimes God answers prayer almost immediately after asking. Other times, it seems we wait forever. The summer before graduate school, I had been reading “Too Busy Not to Pray.” This book encouraged me in my prayer life and spiritual walk with the Lord. One afternoon, I spent time praying about my future. I had no idea how I was going to pay for graduate school or where I would live on campus, I just knew that I was going. I asked God to show me what he wanted for me.
The next day I received two immediate answers to prayer. One was an email, asking me to teach a class in grad school, thus completely paying for school. The other was a phone call, inviting me to be a house mom for a sorority. After some shock, and more prayer, I trusted that these were truly God’s answers. I ended up teaching human sexuality, a class concerning the view of sex in society, and becoming a house mom in a house I had not been a part of; this was not exactly how I thought God would answer.
To be completely honest, it was weird the first semester. I wondered, how can I relate to these girls but still be their house mom? How I can teach this class (an uncomfortable topic) and honor the Lord through it all? Why does He want me doing these things? To make a long story short, I found out how.
God showed me how much he cared about these girls, my students, the topic I was teaching, and the mission of Greek IV through it all. I stayed involved with Greek IV and encouraged Greek IV involvement to all Greek students I talked with. I was able to disciple in a bible study with a group of Greek IV senior girls. I attended a few Sigma Kappa Bible studies as well. I wanted to be a part of it all, and a resource to younger girls, but I didn’t want to lead it.
During my time in graduate school I saw many undergraduates struggle in their relationship with the Lord. A couple Thetas (my sorority) who had accepted Christ in their life seemed to be falling away. My own friends from undergrad who loved the Lord and encouraged me in my faith clearly felt the weight of the ‘real world’ and some even lost trust in God. This was hard to see. Very, very hard. I cried a lot, and questioned God. But He is always good, I believe this. I was able to witness an amazing number of Sigma Kappas coming to Greek Conference 2013, after I had graduated from grad school. I also met new, younger Thetas who wanted to continue the Theta Bible study in the house. If you read my previous post, I had been praying for a continued Bible study legacy in my house for years, another prayer that God continues to answer.
I grew a lot in my faith those two years of grad school. Sometimes I was frustrated with the lack of Greek IV participation from the Theta house. To add to it, I felt the weight of wanting Sigma Kappa to draw close to God too. There were ups and downs like any journey, but I grew in my faith and fell even more in love with God. He is faithful and He provides. Not just necessarily in material things, but in His perfect Son - whose grace is always enough - and who is more important than any achievements we may have on earth, both spiritual and not spiritual.
Now I’m done with grad school and live in Columbus, Ohio. There are no Greek InterVarsity staff here, but in light of that a few Illinois InterVarsity alumni and I have gone to each sorority and fraternity (all 45 of them) to tell them about Greek Conference! I love staying involved with Greek IV.
I know that lives are still transformed, the Greek System is becoming renewed, and people who are bound to change the world are developed in Greek IV, thanks be to God. God called me, I answered, and it was more beautiful than I could have known.
