It may seem that the calamity sucked your life out to sea, but it hasn't. You still have your destiny.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. (Isa. 43:2)1

God calmed the fears of Isaiah, not by removing the problem, but by revealing his divine power and presence.

Anxiety and fear are cousins but not twins. Fear sees a threat. Anxiety imagines one.

Trust God's hold on you more than your hold on God. His faithfulness does not depend on yours. His performance is not predicated on yours. His love is not contingent on your own. Your candle may flicker, but it will not expire.

Sunsets steal our breath. Caribbean blue stills our hearts. Newborn babies stir our tears. But take all these away—strip away the sunsets, oceans, and cooing babies—and leave us in the Sahara, and we still have reason to dance in the sand. Why? Because God is with us.

The contagiously calm person is the one who reminds others, "God is in control." This is the executive who tells the company, "Let's all do our part; we'll be okay." This is the leader who sees the challenge, acknowledges it, and observes, "These are tough times, but we'll get through them.

Sometimes your God-inspired gesture is exactly what a hurting soul needs to survive another day. DECEMBER 6 Don't become partners with those who reject God. How

Maar toen ze de tranen voelde opwellen, weigerde ze te gaan huilen. Ze duwde de herinneringen ver van zich vandaan.

Without courage we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.

You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them. Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud. Do not complain. Make every effort to change things you do not like. If you cannot make a change, change the way you have been thinking. You might find a new solution.

The Black female is assaulted in her tender years by all those common forces of nature at the same time that she is caught in the tripartite crossfire of masculine prejudice, white illogical hate and Black lack of power. The fact that the adult American Negro female emerges a formidable character is often met with amazement, distaste and even belligerence. It is seldom accepted as an inevitable outcome of the struggle won by survivors and deserves respect if not enthusiastic acceptance.