“Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!”
- Romans 12:16
Having lived in two residence halls during my time at Covenant, I’m not new to building stereotypes. In fact, whether you have lived in one building for your entire time at Covenant or you’ve moved around like me, the stereotypes are relentless in their ability to “define” or even categorize a whole group of people. “You don’t seem like you would live there,” or “Oh, I thought you lived in ______,” are comments I’ve received in a multitude of conversations I’ve had about where I live.
I want to make one thing clear: there is a difference between building personality and building stereotypes. I don’t want this article to seem as though I hate building culture or that you shouldn’t invest in your building or hall as I have found so much joy from the people I have had the privilege to walk alongside in my building. What becomes dangerous is when we use our building culture and “identity” to belittle those who do not fit in the boxes we have constructed and deemed important.
Covenant isn’t Hogwarts (contrary to popular belief); we aren’t placed in a “house,” never allowed to change or grow. Most of us are nothing like the stereotypes that plague our buildings. We all come from different places with many perspectives and stories that make us unique. We must remind ourselves that the building we reside in does not define us, but our identity in Christ does. How are we supposed to share the love of Christ if we are too afraid to step right outside our door? Will our ignorance and prejudgements stop us from the possibility of beauty being found in different perspectives? Why are we so scared of people that are different from us?
These are not only questions that I ask you, but also questions that I ask myself. Ashamedly, there have been times when I have allowed gossip, prejudgments and stereotypes of a whole building to define one individual.
I was recently convicted by Pastor Dennis Louis who spoke at the Planted Leadership Conference. He urged us to believe the best about people unless proven otherwise, so we should be curious and explore! Let’s ask questions! Walk into a building you’ve never been in before or go to building events that aren’t yours. Meet new people, and learn! If you do, you might end up with friends from all across campus, the student apartments, and off campus! Like Professor Herb Ward reminds my Doctrine II class almost every day, “Make me brave, make me loving, make me ready for adventure, and give me joy!”
I hope this article is an encouragement to you, and perhaps a push for you as we end the semester to think about what type of person you want to become. Whether you are graduating or coming back to Covenant next semester, are you going to open the doors and be hospitable, or are you going to let ignorance cloud the beauty that can be found beyond the fog?
Covenant is a beautiful community; our buildings hold rich culture and tradition that I hope will continue once we are all gone and graduated. Let us leave behind a campus that does not prioritize stereotypes and judgment over learning, loving and growing together in Christ. Remember, there won’t be residence halls in heaven, but we will all worship the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit as one.