The Urgency of Slowing Down
Laura L. Smith
Our Daily Bread Publishing
Published December 3, 2024

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About The Urgency of Slowing Down

If Jesus took time away from the demands of life for stillness, rest, and prayer, shouldn’t His followers do the same?

Yet living in a whirlwind of constant motion is all too familiar. Our many responsibilities and relationships are important: we want to go to our child’s game and say yes to that assignment at work and help lead that group at church. But when we go, go, go at the world’s pace, the anxiety and burnout start to weigh on our souls. 

Laura Smith invites you to pause, exhale, and explore what the Bible says about slowing down. With scriptural insights and relatable personal stories, Laura offers practical habits for resisting the hectic and holding on to the slow. Packed with different ways Christians over the centuries have tapped into the abundant life of Jesus, 24 short chapters lay out spiritual and physical practices such as prayer, Sabbath, saying no, gratitude, decluttering, celebration, and worship.

If you’re tired of the crazy pace of your life but don’t know how to get off the merry-go-round, The Urgency of Slowing Down is for you. Take a few minutes each day to read a chapter so you can learn to slow down right where you are to look for God, listen for His voice, and fill your heart and mind with His presence.

My Review

One of the things I love about Laura L. Smith’s books is how practical and nonjudgmental they are. Her advice is very much in the lane of “do what works for you” rather than placing value on a particular scripted way of life.

For example, she talks about the spiritual practice of fasting but reminds readers to talk to a doctor or consider the needs of their body and mental health as well. She acknowledges that a food fast can be dangerous for some of us and encourages readers to be safe and well. She offers suggestions for other ways to fast, including giving up a non-food activity or habit, such as social media or electronics.

A lot of the tips are simple and practical, which is exactly what I need. A lot of them are things you could do in ten minutes, which is excellent.

Each chapter of the book focuses on a particular aspect of life, such as setting boundaries, practicing gratitude, and spending time in prayer. She’ll share a personal story about lessons she’s learned about each topic and a scripture that relates. Then the chapter closes with some thoughtful questions that really helped me dig deeper with these ideas.

I think this would be a great book to work through with a journal in January as a “New Year” project. It’s set up to do one individual chapter at a time, and I think that’s the most effective way to use it. I read through the whole thing and bookmarked chapters that resonated with me so I can revisit them later.

If you’re looking for a gentle book to guide you into a more restful Christian faith practice, this is a good one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
The author is a white Christian woman. She talks a lot about her family and friends.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to the author’s marriage to a man named Brett. Just relationship stuff.

Spiritual Content
Lots of Jesus. Lots of Bible verses. Pretty much as advertised from the cover copy.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
None.

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