View on Biblioguides
“Rest, create space, and join God in the work He’s already doing.”
When Moody asked us which of their new releases would be the best fit for our readers, Diane and I both immediately voiced our support for this one. The back cover asks, “Are you swimming in chaos with a never-ending to-do list?” Yes. Yes, I am. I most certainly am. And I bet you are, too.
Many books like this promise to help us make life less chaotic—but few truly deliver on that promise. More often than not, books in this category either pile on Bible verses in a way that leaves me feeling more guilt and shame than encouragement, or they offer a kind of thin, artificial encouragement that doesn’t really nourish—what I sometimes call “virtue pap.”
But this one is different. So different, in fact, that I am already planning to read it again this fall with the mamas in my library. This one is good, my friends.
Written in a beautifully friendly voice, Samantha Decker invites us into her own struggles with wanting to be obedient to the Spirit while still feeling swallowed up by all the pressures we can all relate to. Her love for Christ and her desire to honor her vocation well drove her deep into the Word—not only to see what God gives us as commands, but also to see His mercies and gifts. I so appreciated her balanced and practical insights into what God very directly teaches us about rest, time, and trust.
Decker writes, “I don’t want you to close the back cover of this book and feel like you have no clear path on what an unhurried life looks like in practice. I love plans (in case you hadn’t picked up on that yet), and hopefully, this chapter serves as a planning guide for you that you can hold loosely with open hands, always seeking the Lord’s purpose for your day first.”
The book itself reads like a three-movement symphony. In the first movement, Decker takes us into the meat and potatoes of chaos and margin. She defines her terms, tells relatable stories, grounds her insights in Scripture, and invites us to examine our own assumptions about what words like “rest” and “margin” really mean.
In the second movement, she turns our eyes to who the Lord is—why He cares about our rest and margin, and how He lovingly works through our personality, personhood, and surrender to accomplish His purposes. This section is lightly philosophical and deeply nourishing.
The final movement brings the ideas down to earth, offering practical ways to apply them—ways that honor God and acknowledge how He often works in surprising and unexpected ways. Decker never gives us a formula for ordering our days; instead, she invites us into practical mechanics for trusting Him with our time. I especially loved the section on “when to hurry.” After spending so much time considering rest, slowness, and open-handed planning, I was ready to hear her wise and gracious counsel on the moments when it is good and right to hurry. The admonitions to hurry to obey God, to speak the gospel, and to set wrongs right are powerful—and so often hampered when we are too busy hurrying after lesser things.
Each chapter concludes with thoughtful study questions and reflections, making this book ideal for group discussion.
I found Unhurried to be a marvelous resource, and I cannot wait to use it this fall in my library as a book club pick just for moms. That said, it would also work beautifully with high schoolers or college students who are learning how to order their days for themselves.