Dressember. I must be crazy.

Today I made a crazy decision-I am going to wear a dress every day in December. Now before you judge me (because I would totally judge me...I do live in Chicago), I am wearing a dress for 31 days in a row for a reason. And here is the reason:

I am a feminist.

Now before you get your panties all knotted up, understand this. I am not a feminist in the bra-burning, eradication of men, women are better than men at everything kind of way. I'm a feminist in the pure sense of the word-I believe in the equality of men and women. If you believe in that, then you're a feminist too (ps-you should watch the video in the link). I'm participating in Dressember, a fundraiser/awareness campaign for IJM, because I believe in the rights of women everywhere. Ignorance is not bliss; it enables evil. I know my voice is only one, but I believe that it matters.
Honestly, I'm not super focused on the donation part of Dressember. I've never had a knack for fundraising and I severely dislike asking people for money. If you are interested in donating, you can do so here. But really, there’s no obligation.

For me, the focus of this month is on awareness and prayer. A few years ago, I embarked on a journey to learn more about Justice with YWAM. I wanted to both see and work to end injustice in the world. It was a lofty goal, but one worthy of more attention than the nine months I dedicated to it. One of the lessons that was the most difficult to learn, was just how prevalent the problem of injustice is. Sex trafficking, child brides, rape, prostitution, unequal access to education…the list, devastatingly, could go on and on. I truly believe that the end of these injustices requires a lot of work on our end. Work to change our perspectives. Work to discover root causes. Work to help women and girls heal. Work to open our eyes. I also completely believe the work is worth it. Admittedly, I haven’t worked very hard these past few years to end injustice. There are a variety of reasons why, but the reasons are irrelevant now because I can’t change the past. I can, however, change what I do today. I can change what I do tomorrow.

If you see me over the course of the next month, you will see me in a dress. For those of you who know me from my days as an athlete, you will know how shocking that really is. My hope is that you will ask me more about it. My goal is that every time I put on a dress, I will pray for justice. My heart is that every woman in the world will know that she is worthy.

Peace and dresses!

PS-I couldn't even find a recent picture of me in a dress. Otherwise, I would have posted a teaser.