Have you been thinking about what you want versus what you really want?
If you are a true follower of Christ, I know that what you really want is to live a life of significance. I'm not talking about getting elected to positions or having a good resume, but about leaving a legacy in your Greek chapter of investing in others and sharing the gospel with them.
If a life of eternal significance is what you really want, then God won’t always give you the things you think you want, in order to give you what you truly desire.
It’s easy to get caught up in wondering, or even agonizing about, why you didn’t get a bid from the house you wanted. But stop and think about God’s bigger plan.
The truth is, God has a particular chapter and a particular mission for you. He is the One who places you where He wants you, so you can be part of His bigger plan to impact a Greek chapter for the gospel.
God’s plans, though, very often require a step of faith on our part.
In the book of Esther, the Jewish people in captivity in Persia face genocide sanctioned by the king himself. Queen Esther, a closet Jew, wavers between her personal safety and the safety of her people. Her uncle Mordecai sees this indecision and says to her:
“Who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14, NASB)
God placed Esther in the palace, not just to wear fancy clothes and attend the best parties, but for a higher reason — to save lives. Finally realizing this and now considering others above herself, Esther takes the step of faith. And God proves faithful and works powerfully through her.
The good news is God does not only prove faithful in ancient Persia.
Upwards of 1,400 young women registered for Recruitment at Ole Miss in the fall of 2017. Isaac Jenkins believes more than 50 percent of them will not receive a bid to the sorority of their choice.
I have been involved in the Greek system at three major universities for 32 years. During that time, I have seen thousands of young men and women not get the sorority or fraternity of their choice.
But some of them, those who follow Christ and who know what they really want, go on to have an influence for God’s kingdom in the Greek system. I have seen them become chaplains and even presidents in their chapters, or otherwise significantly influence hundreds of their Greek sisters and brothers with the good news of Jesus Christ.
Can God bring you to a different fraternity or sorority than you wanted, not for your personal ambitions, but to work through you to save people from spiritual death? The situation may be less intense than Esther’s was, but the lives around you are no less in danger.
So, when you rush, don’t worry about getting the bid from that house you think you want. Instead, take a step of faith. Trust God to place you — at such a time as this — in the chapter where you can have the most influence for His kingdom.
About the Author: Isaac Jenkins is in his 28th year on staff with Cru and has worked with Greeks the entire time. Ole Miss has one of the biggest Greek systems in the nation and several of its chapters are the biggest in the Greek world.
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