The Candace Cameron Bure Podcast

Episode: The Way of the Unhurried with Ruth Chou Simons

Date: December 9, 2025
Guest Co-Host: Ruth Chou Simons

Episode Overview

This episode, "The Way of the Unhurried," focuses on how to find freedom from anxiety and cultivate a purposeful, slower pace of life—especially during the stress and busyness of the Christmas season. Candace and Ruth discuss practical ways to prioritize what truly matters, the internal work of letting go of perfectionism and expectations, and how to embrace and trust God’s timing. Listeners gain encouragement to live unhurried, being present in their season, and hear honest reflections on what this looks like in their homes, families, and faith journeys.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Embracing an Unhurried Life (03:30–07:55)

• Holiday Pressure and Consumerism: Candace and Ruth note how Christmas, meant to celebrate God’s gift, is now “the most hurried season of the year.” (05:05)
  • Candace: “It is crazy to me that during the Christmas season...consumerism has made it the most hurried season of the year.”
• Expectations vs. Expectancy: Ruth distinguishes between living in expectation—often leading to disappointment—and expectancy, which is open to hope and trust. (05:55)
  • Ruth: "Are we coming with expectancy, or do we have a lot of expectations? Because expectations are never gonna be met quite right."
• Right Belief Leads to Right Living: The core insight: our actions follow our beliefs. (07:00)
  • Ruth: “Right believing leads to right living...Throughout God’s word, we see this, that your actions follow your beliefs.”

Family Rhythms & Saying No (08:05–13:53)

• Practical Choices in Family Life: Ruth shares her family’s decision to say no to certain activities to maintain togetherness, especially as a large family. Their rhythm centers on gathering daily (usually at dinner) to connect, reflect, and often include Advent in this time. (08:19–10:06)
• Family Conversations: Both hosts stress the importance of “getting everything on the table,” regular apologies, and practicing presence. (10:15–12:39)
  • Ruth: “We normalized getting everything on the table...admitting the messy stuff that happened earlier. So there’s a lot of conversation, which made getting together normal.”
  • Candace: “Even if…the kid isn’t included in the beef, we will…go, ‘Let’s talk this through.’”

Intentional Sacrifice & Cultural Pressures (13:53–16:17)

• Sacrificing "busy-ness" and hustle for intentional, unhurried time together is counter-cultural but necessary.
  • Ruth: "It takes sacrifice to be unhurried."
• The myth of "doing it all" is debunked; both women share how saying “no” is essential for living with presence and purpose. (14:59)
  • Candace: "You can do all the things, just not at the same time."
  • Ruth: "You can be ambitious and not be in a hurry...the unhurried life actually is one that helps you marinate…coming into full maturity."

Seasons of Waiting & Growth (16:17–22:48)

• “Just Because You Can Doesn’t Mean You Should”: Ruth reflects on a season where creative ambitions had to slow to prioritize her children, allowing maturity and depth to grow. (17:49–19:33)

  • Ruth: “Had I been in a hurry…I think it would have been said of me that success was outpacing my ability and my maturity to bring substance to it.”

• The Value of Presence: Candace vulnerably confesses that although she had a slower-paced season at home, she regrets sometimes not being mentally present. (19:55–20:37)

  • Candace: “Even though my life was slower…my mind wasn’t always in it…I missed out on certain things with my kids because…my mind was often future thinking.”
  • Ruth: "Being present in the season you’re actually in.”

• Blooming In Your Season: Ruth uses the metaphor of wildflowers, each blooming at their appointed time—emphasizing that we need not compare our journey to others’ perceived timelines. (21:30–22:48)

Trusting God’s Timing & The Tension Between Waiting and Running (27:47–32:49)

• Inspiration drawn from comedian Leanne Morgan’s late-career “blooming,” reinforcing that “the flower blooms when it’s time.” (26:54–27:08)
• Scripture’s dual image: Running the race (Hebrews 12) vs. Waiting on God’s timing (29:43–)
  • Ruth: “We look at God’s word—we see the tension of ‘wait for His timing’…but also this picture of running the race with endurance.”

Slowness, Age, and Perspective (30:38–31:47)

• Growing older often brings a greater appreciation for slowness and presence.
  • Candace: "It’s only come with age and wisdom that you realize things are happening in the wait."

Advice for Younger Listeners (31:47–33:17)

• Both hosts encourage younger listeners not to fear “missing their season” but to trust in God’s orderly timing and to look for lessons and growth opportunity in the current season.

Listener Questions (36:42–43:23)

Q1: Passion Discouragement – From Nicolina (36:42–40:41)

• Issue: Pursuing multiple passions, dealing with discouragement, praying but feeling lost about one’s direction from God.
• Insights & Advice:
  • Ruth: “What does success look like for you?...Redefine what it means to use your gifts…Maybe it just means faithfulness.”
  • Candace: Encourages openness to how God might use your gifts differently than expected. Keep trying if you’ve only tried once or twice—but also be open to flourishing “somewhere along the same line, but just…different from what you have planned.”

Q2: Trouble with Lists – From Charity (40:53–43:23)

• Issue: Always struggling and feeling overwhelmed by task lists; wonders if there’s a spiritual warfare angle.
• Insights & Advice:
  • Candace: “If you’re not a list maker…don’t make the list. Take it back to baby steps and not the pressure on yourself. If there’s one thing you need to do that day, get that one thing done.”
  • Ruth: Endorses prayer and recognizing that comparison or perfectionism may be a spiritual attack. Points to a past podcast season on spiritual warfare for deeper exploration.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Expectation vs. Expectancy:
  "Are we coming with expectancy or do we have a lot of expectations? Because expectations are never gonna be met quite right."
  – Ruth (05:55)

• Right Living Flows from Right Believing:
  "Right believing leads to right living...how you live will follow what you think."
  – Ruth (07:00)

• You Can Do All the Things, Just Not at the Same Time:
  "It’s taken many, many years to learn how to balance that...you can do all the things, just not at the same time."
  – Candace (15:44)

• Success and Maturity:
  "I don’t want it to ever be said of me that my ministry outpaced my maturity...or that my success outpaced my ability to bring character and wisdom and integrity."
  – Ruth (16:17)

• On Presence and Regret:
  "Even though the...my life was slower and was less hurried, my mind wasn’t always in it."
  – Candace (19:55)

• Just Because You Can Doesn’t Mean You Should:
  "Just because you can doesn’t mean you should...I could try to juggle it all...or I could say, you know what, I can, but I would sacrifice other things."
  – Ruth (18:10–18:30)

• Letting Go of Comparison:
  "God can call you to a lot of different things, just not all at the same time."
  – Ruth (35:57)

• Encouragement for Those in a Hurry:
  "You’re not too late...God can call you...you’re not going to miss the boat on your life."
  – Ruth (35:57–36:28)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [03:30] – Discussion on holiday busyness, expectations, and unhurried life begins
• [05:55] – Expectation vs. expectancy and dealing with anxiety
• [07:00] – The principle: right believing leads to right living
• [08:19] – Ruth explains practical choices for unhurried family life
• [10:15] – Impact of family rhythms; importance of conversation and apologies
• [13:53] – The sacrifice required to be unhurried
• [14:59] – "Doing it all" is a myth; intentional no’s & presence matters
• [17:49] – Ruth’s season of hiddenness; “can doesn’t mean should”
• [19:55] – Candace's honesty about presence and regret
• [21:30] – “The flowers bloom in the season God created for them” metaphor
• [26:54] – Leanne Morgan’s story: patience and blooming late
• [29:43] – Biblical tension: waiting vs. running the race
• [31:47] – Advice to young listeners about “missing your season”
• [36:42] – Listener question about pursuing passions and feeling lost
• [40:53] – Listener question about lists, overwhelm, and spiritual warfare

Summary Takeaways

• Living unhurried is a choice—it often requires intentional sacrifice and counter-cultural boundaries.
• Your value isn’t in doing more or going faster—faithfulness, maturity, and presence matter more than constant hustle.
• Seasons of hiddenness and waiting are not wasted—they are often where God does His most profound work in us.
• Comparison robs us of present purpose—trust God's timing; your “bloom” comes in God's appointed season.
• Practical encouragement: Identify your own family rhythms, set non-negotiables, and remember: being ambitious doesn't require hurry.
• When discouraged or anxious, reframe your “success”—look for faithfulness and the next step, not the world’s outcomes.

For Further Encouragement

• Ruth’s Advent devotional “Emmanuel” and her book “The Way of the Wildflower.”
• Candace’s book “Balancing It All.”
• Earlier podcast seasons covering spiritual warfare and anxiety.
• The Together community for ongoing support.

Original, conversational, and nurturing in tone—just as Candace and Ruth model throughout their discussion.