Rosa Parks (1913-2005) was the unknown seamstress who started the modern American Civil Rights Movement. On December 1, 1955, in the city of Montgomery, Alabama, she refused to move to the back of the bus after a white man got on board and wanted to sit in a front seat. Rosa’s mother believed “you should take advantage of the opportunities, no matter how few they were.” Rosa said that her lifelong acquaintance with fear made her determined and gave her the courage to appeal her conviction during the bus boycott that followed her arrest and conviction. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregation on buses was unconstitutional. Parks was the first woman to receive the Martin Luther King Jr. Nonviolent Peace Prize.

Rosa refused to live in fear; she was determined to have what was rightfully hers, and her determination sparked government reform for all.

From Rosa’s life, we see that if one person is courageous enough to step out and attempt to do something about a problem, other people with the same desire will also come forward.

Pray: Lord, help me to always have the courage to not allow others to take what is rightfully mine. Help me to confront what is wrong with the truth of Your Word. Amen.

From the book The Confident Woman Devotional by Joyce Meyer. Copyright 2011 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords.