As someone who can't stand shopping for clothes, I have to admit I was somewhat dreading the process. Since my fiancé and I are going for a low-budget wedding, I was hoping to spend as little as possible on the dress. These factors brought me to..... online shopping! If it's not my favorite, I might as well not have to leave the couch!
As I was scouring the internet for the perfect garment to don for my forthcoming nuptials... Queue: Dressember! Ah, Dressember. The increasingly popular movement of women in dresses (and now men in neckties) fighting to end modern-day slavery in the month of December. While I don't participate in the dress-wearing, I have many friends and relatives who do. They are wonderful people who inspire and encourage me to advocate for truth, justice, and love.
It is here that a flashback is necessary. I love telling stories, but they don't exactly run in straight lines. The scene opens in the hallway of my quad in my dorm at college. Some friends and I were discussing Dressember, justice, feminism, Harvey Weinstein and the scandals in Hollywood, and a whole slew of other topics. At some point, we got to the question, "how far does it have to go?" An important question. If I say I care about justice and ending modern-day slavery, do I have to research where all the things I buy, from my skinny jeans to my chocolate, were made and only buy fair-trade and ethically sourced products? If I'm an advocate for ending a culture of sexual harassment, is it still okay for me to watch movies produced by people know for sexual misconduct? What about movies whose plot lines rest on the objectification of women? How far does it have to go?
Often, as I consider such questions, I come back to Jesus' words in Luke 14:25-34. Here, he speaks to the people who say they want to follow him and tells them to first "count the cost." What does it cost to follow Jesus? In the church, we talk a lot about sacrificing time, "fleshly desires" (whatever that might mean), and trading things like jobs that pay money for jobs that make a difference. My commentary on that interpretation is not the point here, but I will say I think that way of looking at it misses something. If Jesus declared freedom for captives, befriended the outcast and sinner, and ushered in a kingdom where the first would be last, does following him not require the same from us? And the cost of that might mean buying products that are more expensive because they were made by people who were treated like the human beings they are and compensated fairly for their labor.
With all this on my mind, I went to buy a wedding dress. Come to find out, the fashion industry and the wedding industry are major culprits in modern-day slavery, as well as having a terrible environmental impact. Cheap wedding dresses raised numerous red flags.
I had to count the cost, not only of a dress, but also of following Jesus.
After hours of research, I decided to go with a vintage dress. Vintage is just a fancy way of saying old and used, but of course, that doesn't necessarily mean in poor condition. My other option was to go for a dress that I could guarantee was made fair trade and ethically sourced, which is a great idea but out of my price range. After counting both costs, I ended up finding a lovely vintage dress from Etsy that checked off all my boxes and even fit the budget!
I don't know what the cost of following Jesus is for every situation in my life. I know that I don't always get it right. Sometimes I'm just tired or selfish or completely over-thinking it all. But following Jesus isn't about getting it all "right" or "wrong," it's about walking through life with him. Ultimately, Jesus gave himself to cover the cost of all the ways I fall short.
