Author: Laura Frankl Pedersen

  • Book Release – Still Choosing Joy!

    Hey friends!

    I am excited to share that my new book, Still Choosing Joy, is officially available!

    This book was born from a simple but powerful truth: joy is not the absence of hardship—it is a choice we can make even in the midst of life’s greatest challenges.

    In Still Choosing Joy, I share lessons learned through seasons of uncertainty, disappointment, waiting, and faith. These pages are filled with honest reflections, biblical encouragement, and practical reminders that God’s presence remains constant no matter what circumstances we face.

    If you’ve ever wondered how to keep trusting God when life doesn’t go as planned, this book is for you. My prayer is that it will encourage you to hold on to hope, strengthen your faith, and discover that joy is still possible—even here, even now.

    Thank you for walking this journey with me. Your support, prayers, and encouragement have meant more than you know.

    You can order your copy today and begin this journey of choosing joy together. It is available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3PwHAKf

    I would be grateful if you would also share this book with friends, family members, small groups, or anyone who could use a reminder that God’s joy is available in every season.

    Thank you for being part of this community.

    With gratitude and joy,

    Laura Pedersen

    Author of Choose Joy, Today I Choose, and Still Choosing Joy

  • Stop Counting

    “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” — Psalm 20:7

    We count everything.

    Calories. Followers. Dollars. Wrinkles. Accomplishments. Failures. Likes on social media. How many people showed up. How many people noticed. How many people didn’t.

    We count what everyone else has and quietly compare it to what we don’t.

    And before we know it, our worth becomes attached to numbers.

    But God never asked us to count those things.

    He asked us to count on Him.

    Psalm 20:7 says, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” In Biblical times, chariots and horses represented strength, power, security, and status. Today, our “chariots” may simply look different. We trust in followers, appearance, income, achievements, relationships, recognition, or the approval of others to make us feel valuable.

    Yet none of those things can truly hold the weight of our identity.

    The world teaches us that more is better. More attention. More influence. More success. More applause. Yet the more we chase those things, the more empty we often feel. Because the human heart was never designed to be filled by comparison. It was designed to be filled by Christ.

    Comparison is exhausting because there will always be someone with more. More beauty. More money. More opportunities. More followers. More recognition. If we live by counting what we lack, we will always feel like we are behind.

    But God’s Kingdom works differently.

    Jesus never measured people by popularity, status, or possessions. He looked at hearts. He valued faithfulness over fame. Obedience over attention. Surrender over success.

    The disciples probably didn’t look impressive by the world’s standards. Moses felt inadequate. David was overlooked. Ruth was a widow. Paul carried weakness. Yet God used each one powerfully because they stopped focusing on what they didn’t have and started trusting the One who had everything they needed.

    Maybe that’s where peace begins too.

    Not in finally getting enough.
    But in realizing God already is enough.

    What if we stopped counting likes and started counting blessings?

    What if we stopped counting flaws and started remembering grace?

    What if we stopped counting how far behind we feel and started counting on the God who never leaves us?

    Because the truth is, when we constantly compare ourselves to others, we lose sight of the unique story God is writing in us. Someone else’s success does not diminish your value. Someone else’s calling does not cancel your purpose.

    God is not asking you to become someone else.

    He is asking you to trust Him with who you already are.

    The enemy loves distraction through comparison because comparison keeps our eyes horizontally focused on people instead of vertically focused on God. Peter learned this when he walked on water. As long as his eyes were on Jesus, he stayed above the waves. The moment he focused on everything around him, fear took over.

    The same is true for us.

    We sink when we focus on everyone else’s life instead of God’s faithfulness in our own.

    Social media can become dangerous when it quietly convinces us that everyone else is happier, prettier, more successful, more spiritual, or more loved. But remember, people usually post highlights, not struggles. We compare our behind-the-scenes to someone else’s carefully edited moments.

    God never intended for us to live chained to comparison.

    Galatians 6:4 says, “Pay careful attention to your own work…without comparing yourself to someone else.”

    That verse is freedom.

    Freedom to stop performing.
    Freedom to stop competing.
    Freedom to stop striving for approval that only God can truly satisfy.

    At the end of the day, God will never ask how many followers you had. He will ask if you followed Him.

    He will not ask if everyone applauded you. He will ask if you trusted Him.

    He will not ask if you measured up to others. He will ask if you loved Him and loved people well.

    So maybe today is the day to stop counting all the wrong things.

    Stop counting what you lack.
    Stop counting failures.
    Stop counting likes.
    Stop counting how you compare.

    And instead, count on God.

    Because when God is enough, you no longer need the world to tell you that you are.

    With love and joy,

    Laura

  • Love God. Love Others. Just Love.

    When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, His answer seemed almost too simple:

    Love God.
    Love others.

    That’s it. The foundation. The center. The entire heartbeat of the Christian life.

    And yet, if we are honest, loving can feel incredibly hard.

    It’s hard to love when we are tired.
    Hard to love when we feel hurt.
    Hard to love when someone misunderstands us.
    Hard to love when fear, pride, insecurity, or disappointment get in the way.

    Sometimes we think the Christian life is about trying harder, performing better, or becoming more disciplined. But over and over again, Scripture points us back to this one thing: love.

    Not just talking about love.
    Not just understanding love intellectually.
    But living it.

    Jesus said in The Gospel of John, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

    Love is the evidence.

    Not perfection.
    Not knowledge.
    Not appearance.
    Love.

    But here is where many of us get stuck: we cannot manufacture Godly love on our own.

    Human love has limits. It often depends on circumstances, emotions, or whether someone deserves it. God’s love is different. His love is patient when patience makes no sense. Kind when kindness feels costly. Forgiving when bitterness feels easier.

    That kind of love does not come from striving harder. It comes from abiding deeper.

    Ultimately, love is both God’s power and our participation.

    God supplies the power.
    We supply the willingness.

    The Holy Spirit produces the fruit, but we still choose whether we will surrender, obey, and participate in what God is doing within us.

    We choose whether we will:

    • pause before reacting,
    • forgive instead of keeping score,
    • listen instead of defending,
    • show compassion instead of judgment,
    • extend grace instead of control.

    Love is not passive. It is intentional participation with God.

    Sometimes we wait to “feel” loving before we act lovingly. But often, love begins as obedience long before it becomes emotion. Jesus did not say love would always feel easy; He simply commanded us to do it.

    And maybe that is why love is so transformative.

    Because every moment of genuine love requires us to die a little to ourselves and become a little more like Christ.

    The beautiful thing is that God never asks us to love apart from Him. In fact, apart from Him, we cannot truly love at all. His love flows into us so it can flow through us.

    In First John, we are reminded, “We love because He first loved us.”

    That changes everything.

    We are not striving to earn love.
    We are responding to love.

    And perhaps the Christian life is simpler than we make it.

    Love God.
    Love others.
    Just love.

    Simple to understand.
    Lifelong to live.

    But every day we choose to participate in God’s love, we become a clearer reflection of Him to the world around us.

    With love and joy,

    Laura

  • Dancing in Step: Learning to Lead, Learning to Follow

    I grew up in a family that loved to dance. There was something beautiful about watching the rhythm, the movement, and the connection between two people moving as one. But even as a child, I learned something important—something that went far beyond the dance floor.

    In every dance, someone has to lead, and someone has to follow.

    The leader’s role is to guide—to stay in rhythm with the music, to anticipate the next step, and to gently signal where the dance is going. The follower’s role is just as important—to trust, to respond, and to move in harmony with the one leading. When both honor their roles, the result is something graceful, unified, and full of life.

    Isn’t that a lot like life?

    There are seasons when we are called to lead—to step forward with confidence, to guide others, to make decisions, and to carry responsibility. And there are seasons when we are called to follow—to trust, to listen, and to yield. Both roles require humility. Both require awareness. And both require love.

    But here’s where it becomes deeply spiritual.

    When we follow well, we honor the one who is leading.

    Scripture reminds us in Romans 12:10, “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” Honor is not just about words—it’s about posture. It’s about how we position our hearts toward others. In marriage, in friendships, in leadership, and most importantly, in our relationship with God.

    In a marriage, there is a sacred dance. There are moments when one leads, and the other follows, and when done in love and mutual respect, it reflects God’s design for unity. Honoring your spouse doesn’t mean losing your voice—it means valuing their role, trusting their heart, and moving together in rhythm rather than stepping on each other’s toes.

    And then there is our relationship with God—the ultimate dance.

    God is the perfect leader. He never misses a step. He never falls out of rhythm. He sees the entire dance from beginning to end. And yet, how often do we try to take the lead? How often do we rush ahead, resist His guidance, or ignore His gentle cues?

    Following God requires trust. It requires surrender. It requires us to listen closely for His voice and respond with obedience—even when we don’t fully understand the next step.

    Psalm 32:8 says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” What a beautiful picture of a loving Leader—one who not only directs but watches over us with care.

    When we choose to follow Him, we honor Him.

    And when we honor Him, our lives begin to move in rhythm with His purpose.

    So maybe today is an invitation.

    An invitation to pause and ask:

    • Am I trying to lead when God is asking me to follow?
    • Am I honoring those God has placed in my life?
    • Am I moving in step with His rhythm—or creating my own?

    The beauty of the dance is not in perfection—it’s in connection.

    When we trust the Leader, when we embrace our role, and when we move with humility and love, our lives become a reflection of something greater… something divine.

    So take His hand.

    Listen for His cues.

    And step into the dance.

    With love and joy,

    Laura

  • From Intellectual Truth to Spiritual Truth: The Journey of the Heart

    There is a quiet but profound difference between knowing something in your mind and believing it deep in your spirit.

    Many of us can recite truth. We know the scriptures. We understand the theology. We can say, “God forgives,” “I am redeemed,” and “There is no condemnation.” These truths sit clearly in our intellect—but somehow, they don’t always reach the places in our hearts where shame, regret, and self-judgment still linger.

    This is the gap between intellectual truth and spiritual truth.

    Knowing says, “God has forgiven me.”
    Believing says, “I am forgiven… fully, freely, and forever.”

    Knowing acknowledges truth.
    Believing transforms how you live.

    In Romans 8:1, we are told, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

    That is not a partial truth. It’s not conditional. It’s complete.

    Yet many of us still carry condemnation—not from God, but from ourselves.

    Why?

    Because while our minds agree with God’s Word, our hearts have not yet fully received it.

    Self-forgiveness is often one of the hardest steps in the Christian walk. We replay mistakes, rehearse failures, and quietly hold ourselves accountable for things God has already released.

    But here is a truth we must allow to move from head to heart:

    If God, in His holiness, has chosen to forgive you, who are you to withhold forgiveness from yourself?

    When we refuse to forgive ourselves, we are not being humble—we are, in a subtle way, elevating our judgment above God’s grace.

    Jesus didn’t go to the cross so you could be partially free. He went so you could be completely restored.

    So how do we move from intellectual understanding to spiritual belief?

    It begins with abiding.

    Jesus says in John 15:5, “Apart from Me you can do nothing.” This includes transforming truth within us. We cannot force belief—but we can position ourselves to receive it.

    We move truth from head to heart by:

    • Sitting in God’s presence
    • Meditating on His Word
    • Speaking truth aloud, even when it feels distant
    • Allowing the Holy Spirit to gently renew our minds

    Transformation is not instant—it is relational.

    When truth becomes spiritual reality, everything changes.

    You no longer strive—you rest.
    You no longer hide—you draw near.
    You no longer carry shame—you walk in freedom.

    Forgiveness is not something you earn—it is something you receive. It is a gift from God.

    And when you truly believe you are forgiven, you begin to live differently. You extend more grace. You release perfection. You walk lighter, freer, and closer to the heart of God.

    I offer you this prayer for your journey…

    Lord,
    Help me move beyond knowing Your truth to fully believing it.
    Where I hold onto shame, gently remind me of Your grace.
    Teach me to forgive myself as You have forgiven me.
    Let Your truth take root deep in my heart until it changes how I see myself—and how I live.
    Amen.

    You are not who you were.
    You are who God says you are.

    And the moment you stop just knowing that…
    and start believing it…
    is the moment everything begins to change.

    With love and joy,

    Laura