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Your club is not everything

“Why is Theta so important to me right now?”

My roommate Ally asked me this question last weekend, crying in our living room in a moment of vulnerability. As a rush director for Theta Theta Theta, she has spent countless hours and late nights planning and executing a string of events designed to recruit the girls we believe will best fit in our club.  She has poured her heart into Theta, and it has taken its toll. Her job comes with stress and sacrifice in pursuit of a better club.

Her question, asked from a lack of sleep and a string of challenges which come with being a club officer, struck a chord with me. It is a question I often ask myself but never put into words. Why is a club so important to me?

Club is important to Oklahoma Christian students. The majority of involved students on campus are in one of nine social service clubs. Despite club rivalries or division, the majority  of club members find their friends in each different club. However, the time spent with one’s own club is an integral aspect of student life at Oklahoma Christian.

So much of me loves investing time in a group of girls who I can call my Theta sisters. I have met so many amazing people and I look forward to welcoming more with our new rush class. I know who to call when I need someone with whom to laugh, cry or just talk for hours. The thrill of winning intramurals, dancing our hearts out during Spring Sing or meeting our future members during rush would not be the same with anyone else.

However, this investment comes with a price. 

It’s easy to skip my homework so I can watch an intramural game or give up sleep for a late night sushi run with my sisters. Balancing school and a social life often feels like an impossible choice.

Just like real sisters, disagreements and drama are bound to happen. In any group of people, someone is bound to have conflict. Spending so much time with the same people does not always make a perfect and friendly sisterhood. Sometimes it looks like petty fights and hurt feelings.

Before you know it, club seems to have taken over your life. I know I have spent far too much time worrying about club problems which will have little significance to my life once I graduate sometimes these problems will not even matter at the end of the semester, month or week. 

Since I am graduating a semester early, I have two and a half more semesters to spend with this group of girls and make memories. This also means I have just two and a half more semesters to study hard, get good grades and plan for the rest of my life. Why should a club get in the way of this hard work?

Club shouldn’t be the most important thing in my life, and at the end of the day, it is not the most important thing in my life. Finding a balance between spiritual, social and school life is necessary.

Yes, the friendships and memories I have in my club are invaluable to me, and I am dedicated to being a beneficial member of my club. However, it is not worth it to sacrifice my mental health, grades or spiritual walk for such a temporary commitment. 

What is more important than club as a whole is the individual relationships you form within it. From your best friend to your big, it is these individual relationships which make club worthwhile.

Club is so important to us because we need these friendships to get us through the piles of homework, relationship troubles or periods of struggling with our faith. 

Do not put all of your focus on the superficial aspects of club. Sometimes you must skip an intramural game to study or save your money instead of buying another T-shirt. Instead, club should mean cultivating relationships with your brothers or sisters. Be intentional with the time you have with this group of built-in friends. Look after them and they can be your friends long after you walk the stage and move across the country. 

Club is not the most important thing in my life. With its community and companionship it brings catfights and chaos. However, I would not trade this experience. Club makes life a lot better.

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