Love is not self-seeking

I want to put this post in the context of a social media campaign I'm supporting: This year's "Fashion Revolution."

For more information please see fashionrevolution.org 

How many of you remember the Rana Plaza factory collapse in 2013? It was only two years and resulted in the deaths of over 1000 people but like so many of today's disasters, it seemed so distant and removed from my existence and I struggled to remember what on earth this website was going on about.

Due to this disaster and problems across the board in the fashion industry, Fashion Revolution is encouraging social media users to ask fashion labels "Who made my clothes?" The idea is to upload a photo of yourself, with your clothes inside out, to social media and tag the designers asking them the question. 

Now I want to make a very important point here: This isn't a guilt trip. I have absolutely no interest in guilting you or riding about on my fabulous steed called Self-Righteousness (self-righteousness, self-seeking, ahhh it's all coming together). Rather, it all comes back to that Corinthians passage.

As Got Questions so eloquently put it, the opposite of self-seeking is God seeking. To fight against out natural self-centredness we are instructed to first love our God and secondly to love our neighbour as we love ourselves.

Supporting ethical fashion is the loving choice and this a small way I can contribute.

I used to groan at the mention of ethical fashion thinking, "Not this again!" However a couple from church recently shared this article by Leah Wise. With love and gentless Leah Wise shares her experience and why, as a Christian, she believes in ethical fashion. This is what won me over : the love. For once it wasn't someone riding their fabulous steed Self-Righteousness...

For the Star Wars fans.
Source: www.flickr.com/photos/ofernandezberrios/
License: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

Her pragmatism was also greatly appreciate as ethical fashion is expensive!! To shift to ethical shopping involves a change in mindset. We live in a highly comsumer driven world where more is better. Fast fashion is cheap for a reason: someone else pays.

It's a tough situation and I really enocurage you to check out her article and blog, Style Wise, to see her tips and tricks for ethical shopping.

By choosing to support brands that ensure safe and fair working conditions we are loving others. Self-seeking says, "those shoes are really cute and sooo much cheaper than those sandals from <insert ethical brand here. Let's get 'em." Love says, "Those shoes are really cute and sooo much cheaper than those sandals from <blah>. But they're cheap for a reason. And someone's life, no matter how cute these cheap shoes are, is worth far, far more than this." 

In reality I spend MUCH longer agonising over extra expense versus the cheapness factor. Really it's my "needs" versus someone else needs (you know, a fair wage, food, housing.. Those sort of things) However God's voice whispers quietly: Love is not self-seeking.

Stay tuned for an amusing image of me with my clothes inside out on #FashRev. And if you choose to participate I'd love to see the photos! 

Stop! Wait a minute...

The next lyric according to my Christian friends is, "fill my cup, put some Jesus in it." Not sure if it will catch on.

Mess? What mess? It's artistic expression. 

I chose the title because of my fabulous red tights featured (red = stop, get it? ;D ) and because it relates quite closely to today's topic:

Love does not dishonour others

So what does this mean? In simple terms it means not being rude. But that's a little too vague for me so let's expand with some examples (sounds like I'm teaching you how to write an english essay).

When we get in a disagreement with someone, which is bound to happen every now and again, how many times do we let our mouth run away with us and say something we regret? (Guilty...) It's important to be patient and respectful when talking with others and to honour them. Paul puts it like this:

"Let each esteem each other better than themselves." (Philippians 2: 3)

This verse can be used in a number of contexts, particularly in loving others by putting their needs first. But it's the relationship between esteeming and honouring others that prompted my use of it. When we honour someone we show them respect. It doesn't mean we grovel at their feet or suck up to them but we choose to submit to them out of a healthy sense of respect. To esteem someone is to put them in high regard, to think well of them because you respect them, because you honour them.

Love honours others because when we love someone we respect them. Respecting them means listening when they're talking, accepting that they may have a different perspective and not belittling (being rude) them for it. This doesn't mean we have to agree with everything they say and blindly say "yes m'am, no m'am." In fact I think this dishonours them because it questions the integrity and potential worth of what they're saying. It's ok to disagree, to dissect each other's arguments and calmly and lovingly break down complicated issues. But remember to honour them because this is what it means to love one another.

Next time you find yourself in a debate or disagreement remember the red tights and "Stop! Wait a minute..." before blurting out the first thing that comes to mind.

Hiding from the cold and drowning in assignments

McTed and I are working very hard on three different projects before we leave for camp. So my little corner of the internet may be quiet for a while. I do prefer to post more regularly than this but sometimes one is drowning in assignments and unable to do so.

P.S. One of my assignments involves creating a poster... While I appreciate and enjoy the creative elements involved this sort of thing it generally sends my little perfectionist voice into overdrive. So I'm planning to stick this verse up somewhere (and possibly tattoo it onto my eyelids):

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." 

-Colossians 3: 17-