“ Yes , we will fall down . But we aren ’ t created to live lying down .”
he would handle things at home and go to the drugstore to get a lice treatment . Then I realized : Ryen and I had been sharing a hairbrush all week .
My eyes caught the time on my phone , and I saw that morning ’ s proposal flash through my mind : the graphs we color-coded , the research we compiled , the changes we proposed , and the budget it would require . Three months of blood ( from paper cuts ), sweat ( from a broken air conditioner ), and tears ( trying to get people to care about modern-day slavery ) were on the line . But I only wanted to shave my head and go back to bed . “ I can ’ t do this ! It ’ s too much . I ’ m going to fail ,” I wailed . “ I just want to quit .”
I didn ’ t stop crying my whole drive to the office .
Will everything end up perfect ? Will every problem be solved and wrapped in a bow ? Absolutely not . I speak from experience because the day of the global rebrand pitch , I was late to the office and felt frazzled and unprepared for our meeting . The pitch was an absolute disaster . So bad , in fact , it was completely rejected — everything from vision to budget to implementation and , yes , the color scheme and font choices too .
On my drive home , I prayed desperately to God . I asked Him if I could quit . I was tired . I had put in so much energy and effort , and I felt like I had nothing to show for any of it that even came close to the outcomes I badly wanted .
The day after that failed pitch , I woke up and remembered what I was called to . I ’ m called to freedom and fighting for those who can ’ t fight for themselves . After confirming that neither Ryen nor I had visible lice , I started my morning routine of making breakfast , packing lunches , bargaining over clothing choices , and combing hair with a new , clean comb .
Later that day , I met with my team to start over on our rebrand . In six short months , not only was the rebrand approved , the vision clarified , new initiatives set , and the website redone , but the increased effectiveness that came out of it all enabled us to reach even more people through rescue , advocacy , and awareness .
“ Yes , we will fall down . But we aren ’ t created to live lying down .”
Years later , I realize the successful rebrand wasn ’ t the win . The real victory was my commitment to our organization and my refusal to quit . That resilience grew out of my conviction — knowing what I was called to : to fight for justice and for freedom .
Bouncing back after falling down reinforced my sense of commitment not only to the organization where I was working but also
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