One of my favorite C.S. Lewis quotes of all time is as follows; "To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable."

This quote resonates with me because I think it sums human life up pretty well. To experience anything real, we also have to put our hearts at risk. The same is true when it comes to anti-trafficking efforts. This is not easy work. It can often leave us feeling utterly defeated when we think about the amount of pain people have endured, how widespread trafficking is, and just how difficult it'll be to eradicate it. It's enough to make anyone cry!

I want to share some encouragement, however. The pain we feel and the tears we cry over human trafficking are not signs of weakness. Instead, they are signs of soft hearts and firm resolve. They show that apathy is not an option and that even as our hearts may be breaking, they are also ready to take on a challenge that will, in the end, result in joy and freedom.