This guest post is by Lisa Jones, a wonderful speaker, writer, and just otherwise all-around talented spectacular woman.   Sadly, while we lived near each other we didn’t really get to spend much time together, though I highly respect her– somehow she manages to be funny, yet wise; compelling but  light-hearted. Lisa is real, seen pain, yet still believes in a greater hope for life. And she has been rocking the LBD with me, now going on a second year to bring a taste of justice on earth in this small but great way. 

 

 

 





The Little Black Dress…that Changed the World

Sometimes, when the sun is shining, and everything is going my way, I can forget how much this world needs to change. But if you know Elisa Sue Johnson–aka, The Average Advocate–then you know your “rose colored glasses” don’t stand a chance in her presence. I spent all of twenty minutes with Elisa, last January 27th, during which she told me about the “Little Black Dress” concept. She was going to wear the same little black dress for the entire month of February, to raise awareness and funding to stop the epidemic of sex trafficking in the world. I was impressed. I was supportive. But then the question came, “Do you want to do it with me?”…yeah…um, let me get back to you on that.The question continued to nag at me long after Elisa asked it. The project was set to start up in 4 days. I’d have to make a decision–fast.

 

I had two out of town trips on my schedule–one speaking to some 400 teens on the

topic of purity in relationships, and the other, a weekend job interview. Both situations

for which I’d like to be able to carefully pick out my own clothing, thank you. Obviously

this wasn’t a great time for me to be joining a social experiment. After all, I really

wouldn’t be able to give this the attention it deserved. And yet, I felt a nagging

in my spirit. Ultimately I joined the project–mostly because I didn’t want to. I gave myself

permission to “back out”, if it got too hard. I told myself, “You don’t have to stick with it.

Just get over the hump, and then re-assess”.

 

I’m so glad Elisa, and other average advocates, are out there challenging the rest

of us to add verbs to our convictions. As is often the case, this comparatively small

sacrifice taught me things I would have never gleaned from the sidelines. It was

harder than I thought it would be. I noticed on Day 2, I was actually dealing with a

little depression. Wow. Just take away ONE of my options, and I go into withdrawal. It

didn’t take me long to make the connection: people trapped in the nightmare of human

trafficking have NO options–ever. On Day 3 I re-visited my comforting thought, “You

don’t have to stick it out, there is a way out”. I wondered if sex slaves ever comfort

themselves with the hope that, there is a way out…someone may come. It

occurred to me, that someone is us!

 

In my daily Bible reading today, I came across these verses:

 

“The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every

inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The Lord was grieved

that He had made man on the earth, and His heart was filled with pain…But Noah found

favor in the eyes of The Lord…he walked with God.” (Genesis 6:5-6,8-9)

 

What a relevant description of how God’s heart must break at the epidemic of man,

made in the image of God, using his freedom to exploit the bodies and lives of other

children of God. And what hope at the ability we have to find favor in the eyes of The

Lord, by walking with Him into this darkness, and breaching it with His marvelous light.

 

The Little Black Dress that Changed the World. Is it an overstatement? We

won’t know until we try. And there are literally millions of desperate souls hoping that we

will. Sign me up for The Little Black Dress Project, 2014. How could I say no?

 

Hear more from Lisa Jones at here blog, by clicking here

 

 Related Posts:

Project Little Black Dress 2014

15 Questions About Little Black Dress Project 2014

Review of Little Black Dress Project 2013 & Ending Human Trafficking in the DC Suburbs

2012 Action: Little Black Dress Photos and Overview

Action: Little Black Dress Pt.1

Action: Little Black Dress Pt.2 (The How)

2013 Action: Little Black Dress

Art of Advocacy: Wearing Hope in a Little Black Dress

Review: Action Little Black Dress in Retrospect

2013 Little Black Dress Support