Jesus and Inconvenience

This month, The Lovely Joanne is wearing a dress every single day. Now, us guys don't think about that much, but in December, the cold wind has a way of, let's say, swooping in under a dress and cooling you off in ways you didn't really want. Besides that, finding a different dress for each day and the right accessories with it (again, guys, not our normal thought process) can be difficult, time-consuming and very inconvenient. So why go to all this trouble?

Joanne is doing this "Dressember" exercise to raise awareness and funds for liberating women around the world, particularly women sold into sex trafficking. You can find out more at http://www.dressember.org/, including pictures, stories, and the many ways you can participate if you desire, including clicking on Donate and finding Joanne's campaign. From their website: "Dressember uses fashion to advocate for women who've been exploited for their femininity. As women take on the creative challenge of wearing a dress for the 31 days of December, they are advocating for the inherent dignity of all women...In 2013, Dressember took on new meaning: opposing the worldwide trafficking and exploitation of women. In its first year as a fundraising campaign, Dressember aligned with International Justice Mission, a human rights organization that works to rescue victims of slavery, sexual exploitation, and other forms of violent oppression. Those who participate in Dressember are supporting the abolition of modern day slavery. Beginning in 2015, the Dressember campaign will expand to partner with other anti-trafficking organizations."

My wife decided to get involved in a simple way, by wearing a dress and asking for donations to support this effort. To her, it's a relatively small inconvenience compared to being able to free women from sexual slavery and other types of forced labor. But the idea of "inconvenience" got her thinking: how much inconvenience did our Savior go through to rescue us from the ultimate slavery of sin?  In short, the Son of God gave up everything.  As Paul writes in Philippians 2: "Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross." 

The scandalous grace of God (scandalous because it freely forgives every horrible thing every person has ever done, including all of mine and yours) expressed itself in the death of God to give life to you, and to every person on earth, no matter how terrible their actions have been, because of his love for us to save us from ourselves. As the ancients said, "He who was the Son of God by nature, became a son of man, so that we the children of men might become the children of God by grace." 

He gave it all up for you -- whoever you are. What are you willing to give up for him?