ONE Dress ONE Month: Value... you have it.

Dressed up, paraded around for your looks and the experience you may or may not have sexually. Does this kind of life sound promising? Does it seem like the type of life that would help you to become emotionally and mentally satisfied? Do you want to be known solely by your outward appearance? Of course not! Can you imagine the havoc that that causes to your self-esteem? To have a healthy self-concept, you must feel fulfilled; you must feel valuable and important. Trafficked victims have none of this. Who do they really matter to, their pimps? No. To the people that keep them enslaved they are nothing more than merchandise, just as they are to the people that purchase their “services.”

Ugh. This is disgusting to think about. I worry about the thousands of women and children that are exploited every day. They are purchased based upon their looks. If they aren’t appealing enough, they can’t make money for their enslavers. If they can’t make money, they aren’t any good. I hate to think about what happens to a girl once she is no longer useful, once she no longer has monetary value. I hate to imagine the kind of pressure that creates.

Imagine being one of them, feeling so degraded by what you are being forced to do, having your life reduced to nothing more than retail. Eventually, there probably is not much left of your own self-worth, your dignity is gone. At this point, how many girls actually feel valuable?

It is here that I start to cry. Sometimes, I just feel bad about myself. I feel fat, ugly, unintelligent, and just plain unattractive. But I’m sure these girls try to feel nothing at all. And that’s what breaks my heart. While I may struggle with self-esteem, I still have my dignity. I value myself, because I know that above all, the Lord values me. Who is there to tell the girls that they are valued too?

So, to all of you beautiful women (and men) out there that struggle with self-esteem, with feeling worthy, with being enough, “you were bought at a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20… look it up). When Jesus was nailed to that cross, he didn’t go because of any wrong doing on his part, but on ours. He took our shame and nailed it up there with him.

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we love God, but that he loves us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins (John 4: 9-10).

Moral of the Story: God loves and values you. Remember that.

Pictures of the last week and a half

Day 17: I think this is from Day 17. I'm really not sure, I've gotten so far behind in my picture taking. I borrowed these tights from beautiful Maggie. Again.

Day 18: Jacket and leggings courtesy of Maggie.

Day 19: This time, the pants are mine. Oh yeah. Camo, you know you're jealous.

Day 20: Clothes from Kira! Yay for new clothes! (only the shirt and scarf) the dress is MINE.

Day 21: FRIDAY! That vest-looking thing is actually the same scarf from above. YAY for creativity! I also went home this day. I needed to go home.

Day 22: I sanded kitchen cupboards this day. I did not wear this outfit though. For working with messy things I flipped the dress inside out and wore sweatpants. I miss sweatpants. (P.S. The belt/scarf is from Kira)

Day 23: Riding back to Athens day. Boo. I hate this day. But I love the belt Kira lent me. It has a flower on it. I'm seriously running out of interesting things to say about my life.