The last few months have been wild on Wall Street.

We have seen the Dow Jones Industrial Average drop from 11,516.92 on Sept. 2 to 8,451.19 on Oct. 10. That is a drop in value of 26.6 percent. The market lost one-quarter of its value in 31 trading days. Crazy times.

As a personal finance teacher, I have been watching the market conditions with much interest. Retirements are at stake. Life savings are at risk. Every show on TV is filled with analysts, brokers, economists, academic experts and fund managers. I have seen many of these people speak with abject fear in their countenances.

As I watched a couple of shows where all of the “experts” were predicting a complete market and economic collapse, I saw fear in what was being said and expressed.

For some reason, I have not felt fear. Am I sad to see that my investments have dropped in value? Absolutely. Am I pulling out of investing in the stock market? Absolutely not.

Here are some of the key reasons I am not fearful.

I have faith that God is bigger than the economy and this current crisis.

Money does not define me. Money is great and I do like having some, but my trust is not in my savings account.

I have a well-funded emergency fund. As a result, I have financial margin in my life. If my pay were to disappear, my family could still function without wondering how we were going to buy food or make the mortgage payment.

I believe that American people know right from wrong and are recognizing that living with zero savings and a ton of debt is a recipe for disaster. This gives me hope that the crisis will permanently change our financial habits.

Another reason I am not fearful is that history shows a powerful story as it relates to the stock market.

There have been four calendar years where the DJIA dropped more than 25 percent in value, but there have been 11 years where the DJIA increased more than 25 percent. There have been 26 down years, but there have been 53 up years. History shows that for every single one of the 26 down years, the market has fully recovered.

I also have seen the fact that a majority of the publicly traded companies are fundamentally sound, even though their stock prices have taken a beating.

So what have I done in response to the fear-based trading on Wall Street? I have continued purchasing good mutual funds and a few individual stocks of companies that I believe are well-positioned for excellent gains. I have always ensured that my investments are well-diversified, and that no individual stock exceeds 10 percent of my overall portfolio.

And if it all goes to zero, I will have the adventure of a lifetime recovering from the loss.