Sororities and fraternities are a big deal for college students in the United States of America. There’s a whole grueling, sometimes embarrassing process that young men and women go through just to belong to one.
People go to great lengths and do all sorts of things (good and bad) just to get in because they want to belong to a support system that’s like family consisting of their peers.
But what they fail to realize is that they are already invited to be part of God’s Family where they truly belong and are loved unconditionally.
Best of all, God’s Family is for life not only on this Earth but forever.
Beth Moore, a famous Bible teacher and writer, said something in her book Breaking Free that resonates with me. She wrote, “God is not only the answer to a thousand needs, He is the answer to a thousand wants. He is the fulfillment of our chief desire in all of life. For whether or not we’ve ever recognized it, what we desire is unfailing love.”
Unfailing love can only come from the heart of God. Not sororities. Not fraternities. Not gangs. Not high school cliques. Not memberships to prestigious organizations. Only God.
I love the song “Your Love Never Fails” by Jesus Culture. It’s about how God’s love never fails or gives up on us. He is our Creator, Lord, Savior, Redeemer and truest Best Friend. He loves us with all of His divine heart and He wants us to love Him too. But He will never make us love Him because He wants us to love Him out of the free will that He gave us, not because we’re scared of going to hell or have ulterior motives about making it into Heaven.
God is love. He embodies the word and His love for His creation is present in nature all around this world! He is our Heavenly Father and when we accept His Son Jesus Christ into our lives, we become a permanent part of His forever family!
The best part is that we don’t have to do anything drastic to belong to God’s Family. We just have to trust Him, believe in Him and accept the free gift of salvation that He offers humankind through His Son Jesus Christ. According to John 1:12 (ESV), this is how we become part of God’s family after we accept Jesus Christ into our hearts: “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
It’s simple. No strings attached. Only hope eternal knowing that when our life here on Earth ends that we have the promise of spending eternity with Him when Jesus Christ returns to Earth again to take His faithful followers to Heaven.
God’s Family is global. When you join His forever family, you gain brothers and sisters in Christ from around the world. Just think how grand our big, diverse family reunion with our brothers and sisters in Christ will be when we make it to Heaven!
Belonging to God’s Family is something we should all seek before seeking acceptance from any social or prestigious organization here on Earth. Remember, your worth does not come from what your fellow man thinks of you. Your worth comes from God! Focus on what He says about you. Believe what He knows is true about you. Let Him be your mirror. Listen to His Truth. Don’t allow what mankind says to define you, good or bad. Let your sense of self – your core identity – come from God! He thinks you’re amazing because He made you. As one of His children, you are loved!
Yes, I know that as mortals, even when we have the Creator of the Universe lavishing His divine love upon us, we still may want to seek acceptance from sororities, fraternities or other prestigious organizations that are safe (gangs and cliques are NOT safe). I’m not saying to not seek after those things. I’m just saying to keep God as your primary focus and seek Him first. Find out what He wants you to do and ask Him for wisdom to make good decisions that will help you, not hurt you. Also, as you journey through life, remember who you are (your identity as a follower of Jesus Christ) and whose you are (you belong to God) and refuse to let the opinions of people deter you from remaining a part of God’s Family.
In closing, I’d like to share a prayer from Beth Moore about unfailing love that is from her book, Breaking Free. She wrote, “Oh, God, awake our souls to see—You are what we want, not just what we need. Yes, our life’s protection, but also our heart’s affection. Yes, our soul’s salvation, but also our heart’s exhilaration. Unfailing love. A love that will not let me go!”
Alexis A. Goring is a college graduate with a degree in print journalism from Washington Adventist University in Takoma Park, Maryland. Writing is her passion. She hopes that her stories will touch hearts, bring smiles to faces, and inspire minds to seek God whose love for humanity is unfailing.
Readers can connect with Alexis at Facebook or at her Website
