Give Thanks in All Circumstances.

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."  - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

In this season of giving thanks, I have so much to be thankful for, but more than anything else this Thanksgiving I am thankful for the verse above. I am thankful that in Christ I can truly give thanks in all circumstances. You see, for a long time I didn't understand this. I read 1 Thessalonians during times when disease, injustice, and death surrounded me and I thought, "Really Lord? You want me to be thankful now? You want me to be joyful? No thanks." But in Christ we can be joyful in the midst of sorrow and suffering. We can give thanks, and we don't have to give thanks for a particular circumstance but we do give thanks in all circumstances. Because even death cannot separate us from the love of Christ! What joy! My #SheReadsTruth study said, "God doesn’t ask us to silence our sorrow in favor of thanksgiving. Rather, He uses our sorrow to proclaim a type of thanksgiving we wouldn’t be able to express otherwise." On Tuesday, we had to say goodbye to a man that I loved so, so dearly. And it can be difficult to find joy in that and give thanks through the tears and sorrow, but we didn't have to really say goodbye. I have no doubt in my mind that one day I will once again hug Pete and hear him say, "Hey sweetie!" I have no doubt that he is walking on streets of gold and celebrating our Risen Savior. And that my friends, is the greatest joy I could ever imagine.  

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;
    we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:35-39

I am also thankful for the every day things. I am thankful for my freedom. I'm thankful that I woke up this morning, in a home, to parents who love me more than anything. I'm thankful that I could curl my hair and feel pretty. I'm thankful that I had a meal that I walked away from overly stuffed. I'm thankful for the many, many people in my life who encourage and strengthen me. I'm thankful for the basic things that I probably forget to be thankful for each day. This morning I was thinking about how Dressember is only 3 days away, which reminded me of all the women around the world who may not have any of the things I just listed. They may have woken up this morning in a brothel or truck stop, not even knowing what love truly looks like. So today I will rejoice, give thanks, and pray for those who may not be so thankful today. 

Dressember

This December I will be participating in Dressember with several other men and women on Northwestern's Campus and even more around the world. Dressember is a movement that uses creativity to restore dignity to all women. The heart of Dressember is freedom, which many of you know is my heart as well. 

Women around the world are locking arms to fight one of the greatest injustices of our time, but on Northwestern's Campus we're blessed to have men participating as well. So for all 31 cold days of December, I'll be wearing a dress (and guys participating will be wearing ties, so we've named our campaign 'Dress(up)ember'). For those of you who know me, I don't often wear dresses and I surely don't in the dead of winter in Iowa. As they days have been getting colder, I've often had negative thoughts about running across campus in tights and a dress in a negative seven windchill, but then my mind goes back to my beloved sisters in India. I remember the pain they carried with them on a daily basis from years of abuse. I remember their sweet hands grabbing mine as I entered the aftercare center. I remember painting pictures of God's love. And most of all I remember their joy despite their trials, and "suffering" through wearing a dress in the cold for 31 days seems like nothing. So I'm doing this for them. 

Some of you may be curious how Dressember actually helps fight for freedom, and it's a valid question. By wearing a dress every day during the month of December I am embracing my freedom on behalf of those who aren't allowed to live free, vibrant lives. Wearing a dress when it's below freezing for 31 days is also pretty strange, and people will ask questions. These questions are the perfect opportunity for me to share about the 30 million in slavery today. This campaign gives me an opportunity to share my heart for the enslaved and the oppressed! So Dressember spreads awareness of modern day slavery, but seeking justice goes beyond awareness. So for the second year, all funds raised during Dressember 2014 will go to support the work of International Justice Mission. IJM is a human rights organization that seeks to bring rescue to victims of slavery, sexual exploitation, and violent oppression. In 2013, over $165,000 was raised for IJM. The average rescue operation costs $4,500 so that's 37 rescue operations funded by Dressember. Education for one year of college for a survivor of trafficking is $886. 186 victims could receive education because of Dressember 2013. You CAN make a difference.

So please join me in my fight to end human trafficking. You can do so first by joining me in prayer. Pray for the victims, pray for organizations fighting human trafficking, pray for those at risk, and pray for the traffickers. Second, you can join our team to raise your own funds (or you can choose not to make an online profile and simply participate)! Or third, you can donate to support the cause. I would love for you to pledge a dollar a day, or even 50 cents a day. Anything can make a difference and I'd be beyond grateful if you joined me in this cause. The link to our team page is here: https://support.dressemberfoundation.org/fundraise/team?ftid=38529 and my individual page is: https://support.dressemberfoundation.org/fundraise?fcid=358674