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b'They were beautiful, but wild and seemingly untamable. These horses of mine\\ngalloped across the white sands, surging at times into the foaming sea. A\\njet black mane and a tail that looked like wispy smoke trailed behind my\\nstallion, Fear. He wasn\\u2019t always unruly, but when that glint appeared in\\nhis coal black eyes, I knew it would be near impossible to catch him.\\nPassion pawed at the waves with a shining hoof, whinnying in delight as the\\nsalty spray hit her white face. The water glistened on her coat bright as a\\nfreshly polished pearl. Passion could be so fulfilling at times, but there\\nwere other occasions when she could not be reined in.\\nI reached up to stroke Sorrow on her soft, gray muzzle. Her dappled coat\\nswirled like drops of rain in a cloudy sky. Joy, her sister, was seldom\\nseparate from Sorrow. Joy\\u2019s golden back was warm to my touch in the sun,\\nand she nickered softly when I spoke to her.\\nRage thundered by, tossing his red mane. His eyes were rolling and wide.\\nThere were times when he scared me most of all, when I didn\\u2019t know if I\\ncould ever control him. I knew in my heart that I could not keep my horses\\nin check on my own. Thankfully, I was not alone.\\nThe Trainer wrapped His arms of love around Fear, calming him. When Passion\\nwas eager to gallop and explore, the Trainer taught her how to navigate all\\nkinds of terrain with wisdom and discernment. Joy and Sorrow were never so\\nbeautiful as when they were walking close by the Trainer. They were\\nintertwined in this inexpressible dance that made me want to laugh and cry\\nall at once. The Trainer was never afraid of Rage as I was; He held him in\\ngentleness and strength.\\nAs the setting sun glinted off the waves, I knew in the depths of my soul\\nthat I was not alone. The Trainer was near. I would hold His promise of\\npeace close, knowing He would guard my horses. With the help of the\\nTrainer, I could do what He called me to do with the strength that He gave.\\n\\u2022 Savannah Coleman\\n\\u2022 In this story, the horses represent our emotions, which are tamed by God\\nthe Trainer. We all have times when our thoughts and feelings seem\\nunmanageable. God gave us emotions, but sometimes they can overwhelm us and\\nthreaten to control our actions. When do you find it difficult to handle\\nyour thoughts and feelings? \\n\\u2022 As children of God, we can rely on His help. Once we\\u2019ve put our trust in\\nJesus, He transforms our minds through the renewing power of His Word and\\nHis Spirit. He promises that He will be near us; we have His strength in\\nall situations. How might it give you hope to know that you never have to\\nface your emotions alone? \\n\\u2022 As we grow in our relationship with Jesus, He helps us to better\\nunderstand and deal with our emotions (Matthew 11:29). When fear, sorrow,\\nor rage threaten to consume us, we can choose to give our anxieties over to\\nGod by telling Him about what we\\u2019re experiencing and asking for His help.\\nWhat emotion(s) are you feeling right now? Consider taking a moment to talk\\nto God about what you\\u2019re experiencing. \\n\\u2022 Sometimes, our thoughts can be troubling. God invites us to focus on\\nthings that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and\\npraiseworthy (Philippians 4:6-8). (If you can\\u2019t think of anything that fits\\nthese descriptions, try thinking about God Himself, because He is all these\\nthings! Jesus reveals God the Father,\\nso reading about His life in Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John is a great way to\\nfind out what God is like.) God promises that His peace will guard our\\nhearts and minds as we come to Him (verses 7, 9).\\n\\u2022 If you\\u2019re feeling overwhelmed by your emotions, it\\u2019s okay to talk about\\nthis. Who is a trusted Christian in your life'