Category: one word

  • Perfect Love Casts Out Fear

    Fear has a quiet way of slipping into our decisions.

    Sometimes it sounds like wisdom. Sometimes it disguises itself as caution. Sometimes it simply whispers, “What if this goes wrong?” Before we realize it, fear is shaping how we respond, how we plan, and even how we see ourselves.

    But Scripture offers a powerful truth about fear.

    In 1 John 4:18, we read:
    “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

    Perfect love casts out fear.

    Not willpower.
    Not control.
    Not having all the answers.

    Perfect love.

    And that love is found in God.

    When we truly begin to understand how deeply we are loved by Him, fear loses its grip. We no longer have to make decisions based on protecting ourselves, proving ourselves, or controlling outcomes. Instead, we can move forward grounded in the steady assurance that we are already held by a loving Father.

    This leads to an important question we can ask ourselves in the middle of any decision:

    Am I responding from love… or from fear?

    Fear tightens.
    Love opens.

    Fear tries to control.
    Love learns to trust.

    Fear focuses on everything that could go wrong.
    Love remembers that God is already present in whatever comes.

    The truth is, we will still feel fear at times. We will still experience worry, frustration, disappointment, and uncertainty. But these emotions are not failures of faith. They are invitations.

    Every negative emotion is an opportunity.

    An opportunity to pause and bring our hearts honestly before God.
    An opportunity to let Him reshape the thoughts we are believing.
    An opportunity to be transformed.

    What if instead of running from uncomfortable emotions, we saw them as doorways?

    A moment of anxiety becomes a chance to lean into God’s peace.
    A moment of anger becomes a chance to receive His patience.
    A moment of fear becomes a chance to experience His love more deeply.

    God does not waste our emotions. He meets us inside them.

    When we bring our fears to Him, something beautiful happens. What once felt like distance becomes a deeper connection. What once felt like uncertainty becomes trust. What once felt like fear becomes love.

    Over time, we begin to know God not just as an idea, but as a faithful presence walking with us through every moment.

    And that is where transformation begins.

    So the next time fear shows up, pause and ask yourself gently:

    What is this moment inviting me to discover about God?

    Because every fear is an opportunity to experience His perfect love.

    And perfect love casts out fear.

    With love and joy,

    Laura

  • Living with Purpose

    “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19:21

    We live in a culture driven by goals. We’re encouraged to dream big, plan carefully, and measure success by achievements—careers, finances, influence, and recognition.

    These are often called worldly goals, and while they are not inherently wrong, they are incomplete on their own. Proverbs 19:21 gently re-centers our focus: no matter how many plans we make, it is the Lord’s purpose that ultimately prevails.

    Worldly goals focus primarily on what we want to do or accomplish:

    • Get the promotion
    • Build the business
    • Reach a certain income level
    • Achieve recognition or success

    Life goals, on the other hand, focus on who we are becoming:

    • Becoming more Christlike
    • Growing in patience, humility, and love
    • Learning to trust God more deeply
    • Living with integrity and faithfulness

    The danger comes when our plans prioritize success over surrender, achievement over alignment, and outcomes over obedience. God’s purpose always goes deeper than accomplishments—it shapes our character.

    Purpose Is About Formation, Not Just Direction.

    God is far more concerned with who you are becoming than with the titles you hold or the boxes you check off. While we often ask God to bless our plans, He is inviting us to be formed by His purpose.

    You may reach every goal on your list and still feel unfulfilled if your heart is not aligned with God. True purpose is not found in doing more, but in becoming more rooted in Him.

    Ask yourself:

    • Who am I becoming as I pursue my goals?
    • Do my plans draw me closer to God or further into self-reliance?
    • Am I growing in love, faith, and obedience?

    There are moments when God allows our plans to be disrupted—not to punish us, but to refine us. A closed door may protect your character. A delay may develop your patience. A change in direction may deepen your faith.

    God’s purpose prevails because He sees beyond the moment. He knows what kind of heart is needed for the future He’s preparing you for.

    Living with purpose doesn’t always look impressive by the world’s standards. Often, it looks like daily faithfulness:

    • Choosing obedience when it’s inconvenient
    • Loving people when it costs something
    • Trusting God when the outcome is uncertain
    • Showing up with joy and integrity right where you are

    Purpose is lived out in the ordinary moments when no one is watching but God.

    Surrender the Plan, Embrace the Purpose.

    Proverbs 19:21 invites us to hold our plans loosely and our faith firmly. God’s purpose is not just about where you are going—it’s about who you are becoming along the way.

    So as you set goals and make plans, consider this shift:
    Not just What do I want to do with my life?
    But Who is God calling me to be?

    When we surrender our worldly goals to God’s greater purpose, we discover a life marked not just by success, but by significance, peace, and lasting joy.

    With love and joy,

    Laura

    P.S. Join my online study to find your hope and purpose! https://www.facebook.com/groups/ChooseJoyStudy

  • 🌿When Seasons Change

    Life is full of seasons. 🍁

    We walk through seasons of change just as the leaves change color and drift to the ground. There are seasons of laughter and seasons of loss. We experience beginnings and endings. Some we welcome, others catch us off guard. But one thing remains certain: seasons always change.

    And through every shift, we have a choice. We can cling tightly to what was, or we can trust God enough to let go.

    💛Season of Letting Go: A Lesson in Trust

    A few years ago, I began choosing one word each year to focus on. That particular year, God whispered a word I didn’t want to hear: Letting Go.

    For someone who likes to plan, help, fix, and control, letting go felt impossible. Yet God was inviting me into a deeper trust. I was called to release what I was never meant to hold so tightly.

    Letting go wasn’t about giving up. It was about opening my hands to what God had next.

    🌸 Letting go of fear — “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.” (Isaiah 41:10)
    🌸 Letting go of control — remembering that God is the Author of my story.
    🌸 Letting go of the past — “If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
    🌸 Letting go of my own strength — “When I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10)

    Each time we release what weighs us down, we make room for God to move.

    💔Season of Loss and Surrender

    I’ve walked through seasons of deep loss. These include miscarriages, divorce, and the death of my father and sister. I also experienced a battle with breast cancer. Each one left me breathless and broken. But each one also became a classroom where God taught me to trust Him more.

    It wasn’t easy. I had to learn that joy is not the absence of pain, but the presence of surrender.

    “Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” — James 1:2–4

    Through every trial, God was shaping me, strengthening me, and drawing me closer to Him.

    🌿 Seasons change — but God does not.

    “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” — Hebrews 13:8

    🌼 Season of Identity and Purpose

    Some seasons aren’t about loss — they’re about rediscovery.

    For much of my life, I defined myself by my roles and accomplishments. These included my job, my family, my appearance, and my success. But when those things shifted, I faced an identity crisis.

    Then I learned this truth. I stopped striving to define myself by the world. I began to rest in who God says I am — loved, chosen, redeemed. Then peace returned.

    “Do not conform to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” — Romans 12:2

    When we stop fighting against the current of change, we find that God’s plan has been carrying us all along.

    🌸Season of the In-Between

    Life often feels like the “in-between” — that space between no longer and not yet. It’s uncomfortable, uncertain, and full of questions.

    But it’s also the place where faith grows deepest.

    “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” — Hebrews 11:1

    My sister Sara taught me that joy is not the denial of pain. It is the decision to trust God in it. Even in her suffering, she defined joy as:

    “The unwavering trust that God knows what He is doing and has blessed me with the opportunity to be a part of it. Not despite what is happening in my life, but because of it. When everything earthly feels heavy, He gives me an internal lightness that can’t be reached.”

    We can’t control the seasons, but we can choose how we walk through them — with or without Him.

    🌤 When Seasons Change

    What do you need to let go of in this season? Is it fear? Or is it control? Could it be the past, or your own strength?

    Whatever it is, remember this truth:
    When your seasons change, don’t cling to fear. Let go. Surrender. Choose joy.

    God’s presence is constant. His love is unchanging. His purposes are eternal.

    “For you have rescued me from death; you have kept my feet from slipping. So now I can walk in your presence, O God, in your life-giving light.” — Psalm 56:13

    The trees release their leaves. May we also release what we can’t keep. Let us trust the One who never lets go. 🍂

    💬 Reflect & Share

    ✨ What season are you in right now?
    ✨ What is God asking you to let go of?
    ✨ How can you choose joy in the in-between?

    Share your heart in the comments below — let’s encourage one another through every season. 💕

    With love and joy,

    Laura

  • The Freedom of Forgiveness

    I learned a new word this week!

    Unrequited:

    1. not returned or reciprocated: unrequited love.
    2.not avenged or retaliated: an unrequited wrong.
    3.not repaid or satisfied.

    I’ve been thinking about forgiveness this Lenten season.

    Forgiveness is a concept that can be both beautiful and brutal, depending on the context. On one hand, forgiveness offers a chance for healing, restoration, and new beginnings. On the other hand, it can be a painful and difficult process, especially when faced with hurtful or traumatic experiences.

    As Christians, we’re called to forgive others just as God forgives us. But what does that really mean? How do we do it?

    In the Bible, forgiveness is a recurring theme that showcases God’s merciful nature. From the Psalms to the Gospels, we’re reminded that forgiveness is a fundamental aspect of God’s character.

    In Matthew 6:14-15, Jesus teaches us that our forgiveness from God is directly tied to our willingness to forgive others. This doesn’t mean that God’s forgiveness is conditional. Instead, our experience of His forgiveness is deepened when we extend forgiveness to others.

    For many of us, forgiveness is a struggle. Forgiving is letting go of and accepting what has been. When we forgive, does it mean that we are saying what was done to us is okay? Does it mean that we are saying they are right and we are wrong?

    I don’t think so.

    One of the hardest things about forgiveness is that it often feels unrequited. Whatever was done that requires forgiveness often leaves us broken or empty, and sometimes those feelings weren’t validated. And perhaps still aren’t.

    As much as our deepest desire is to sometimes retaliate for being hurt, that’s not what forgiveness is all about. Even when matters are resolved to the best of everyone’s abilities, the injured party may still feel unsatisfied. Unrequited.

    Being wronged hurts. Speaking forgiveness is sometimes easy. However, truly feeling it is often hard.

    It’s a feeling of deciding whether we’d rather be right or if we’d rather be happy. If we’d rather hold onto our righteous hurt, or if we’d rather extend grace. Let’s be honest, we’re human, it’s our impulse most of the time to hold on rather than leave ourselves unrequited.

    I was given a whole new clarity about forgiveness when I came across this phrase:

    Forgiveness is giving up the possibility of a better past.

    It makes sense, doesn’t it? We hold onto things because they are unrequited. Because they hurt us. Because they never should have happened in the first place. Because we want to go back to the time before we were hurt and make it not happen. We want a better past.

    But that’s not possible.

    Life happened.

    The possibility for a better past just doesn’t exist. But the possibility for a better future is available to each and every person who is still breathing.

    We can let go of the hurt and the anger. We can release the need to once again say, “But I was right!” Each of us can decide that our future will be better. We have the opportunity to make our future better than our past. And we have the opportunity to give someone else the grace to know that, too, by extending forgiveness.

    By doing as Christ has done for each of us over and over and over again.

    Imagine if He looked as us and said, “But I was right,” instead of, “But you are Mine.”

    Letting go of the possibility of a better past means that a better future is possible. However, it doesn’t always mean both people will choose that path. There are people in my life who I have forgiven, knowing the past cannot change. But some of those people choose to live out the same actions over and over. They have the possibility for a better future, but they are choosing not to take it.

    I can forgive them without walking back into unhealthy situations. I can forgive them, and still choose not to play the game. I hope someday they will choose a better future, and I will cheer them on if they do. In the meantime, I care about them from a distance. I think, just like God does with us, we can stay where we are when they move away. And still be here when they choose to come back.

    Saying I’ll forgive and forget isn’t practical, because I don’t think we can forget. I think forgiveness happens in us. It occurs when we do remember what had been done to us without feeling like we did when it happened. It becomes just a memory. It’s a past that can’t be changed for the better, followed by a future that can.

    I’ve learned that leaving things unrequited can be a beautiful gift. It means they can be left where they belong so forgiveness can be given, received and cherished.

    With love and joy,

    Laura

  • Stop Looking. Start Acknowledging.

    Have you ever noticed that sometimes the more you search for something, the further away it gets?

    Sometimes, with the best of intentions, we go to God looking for answers… for direction… for guidance… and we get…

    Nothing.

    We get silence. We can be quiet. We can listen. We can be silent while screaming inside at the top of our lungs, “WHERE ARE YOU?!?!?!”

    We do all we are supposed to do. We follow the rules…pray, sit in silence and yet we get… nothing. We can’t seem to find Him.

    I wonder if I am trying too hard. If I should stop looking. And start acknowledging.

    I start thinking God has gone somewhere. That He has fallen silent and I am doing something wrong. That I need to search for Him and find Him. But really, I don’t think either of those things are true. I think I am just waiting for Him on my terms instead of His.

    I want the control. I want answers, direction, resolution. I want the warm and fuzzy feeling that I think faith should give me.

    I have grown up to believe that if I follow the rules of praying I will get the answers. Of course, the answers in my time and in my way.

    I long to know what He knows. I wait to hear the definitive word so I can step ahead in His good grace. And when He is silent, I think I’ve missed something. And I once again, think I need to find Him.

    Do you notice the control theme in there?

    I want. I look. I expect.

    The other day, I had one of those “Aha” moments when I was driving home. It was an overwhelming day, there wasn’t one thing that seemed to go right. I was tired of the number of things that seemed to not be going how I wanted them to. In the middle of these thoughts, I began taking in the beauty of His creation. I began focusing on all that I am grateful He has given me.

    And then I felt calm, grateful, and serene.

    I had been frustrated, feeling He was nowhere near me and silent. When I changed my thoughts and perspective, I got what I was looking for. Those thoughts, turned my attitude and feelings on a dime.

    And it was then I realized:

    I don’t need to find God. I just need to acknowledge Him.

    I thought He was silent because He wasn’t giving me the answers I was looking for. He wasn’t speaking to what I wanted Him to speak to. I knew what I needed and what I wanted and He wasn’t providing.

    He wasn’t under my control.

    But He hadn’t gone anywhere. I was the one who had moved. I moved from a place of being a servant. I moved to a place of wanting Him to serve me on my time and in my way.

    In that moment I stopped trying to find Him. I found the creator of the Universe who I thought had somehow disappeared. He is EVERYWHERE. I was just looking for what I wanted instead of what He was offering.

    I need to stop looking for Him and started acknowledging Him.

    Stop waiting for my answers and started walking ahead in faith. Stop waiting for Him to give me what I want ahead of time. Trust that He will give me what I need when I need it.

    I don’t need to pack my bag before the trip He has called me to. I need to travel the road He has called me to and trust He will provide for me as I go. I need to acknowledge Him along the path.

    I realize that He doesn’t have to speak to be heard. I need to start listening with something other than my ears. I need to listen to Him with my heart and soul.

    Walking in faith is hard and scary, and I can be okay with that.

    Because hard and scary is His specialty.

    He has called me to focus on the word serenity this year. Serenity is a state of inner peace and mental clarity that is independent of external events. It’s a feeling of calm and tranquility that can help avoid stress.

    “I leave the gift of peace with you, my peace. Not the kind of fragile peace given by the world, but my perfect peace. Don’t yield to fear or be troubled in your hearts, instead, be courageous.

    John 14:27 (TPT)

    My job is to stop looking and start acknowledging. It is there I will find the serenity that comes from Him.

    What is God calling you to this year? Will you join me in acknowledging Him along the way?

    With love and joy,

    Laura