Season 12
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Episode 5
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Run Time: 44:42
If life feels loud, rushed, or heavy with expectations, this week’s episode of the Candace Cameron Bure Podcast offers a deep breath of relief. Candace and guest co-host Ruth Chou Simons dive into the tension so many women feel but rarely admit:
“I think I’m behind.”
“I should be further along by now.”
“Everyone else seems to be blooming—why not me?”
The Pressure of Christmas Hurry
Between gift lists, family plans, and cultural pressure for a “perfect holiday,” the season meant to draw us closer to Jesus often leaves us scattered and anxious. Ruth, who runs a retail business and raises six boys, shares why she intentionally slows her family down—choosing fewer activities, protecting dinner time, and weaving Advent into rhythms they already have.
Expectation vs Expectancy
Ruth introduces a beautiful distinction: Expectations burden us with pressure. Expectancy opens our hearts to God’s presence.
This shift changes everything—how we think, what we prioritize, and how we interpret the season we’re in.
Choosing an Unhurried Home
With honesty, humor, and plenty of real-life examples, Ruth describes the culture her family has built:
- Conversations instead of avoidance
- Family meetings instead of quiet resentment
- Togetherness over busyness
- Simplicity over pressure-filled perfection
Candace shares her own experience of being physically present with her kids but mentally elsewhere during her early motherhood years—something many parents deeply relate to.
When You Feel Behind
Both women talk openly about hidden seasons, especially when gifts feel unused or unnoticed. Ruth’s “nap-time painting years” eventually became the foundation for GraceLaced. Candace’s decade-long break from acting became a refining season she didn’t expect but now treasures.
Ruth’s reminder is powerful: “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.”
Some seasons are for blooming. Others are for rooting. Neither is wasted.
God’s Timing Is Perfect
Using the imagery from The Way of the Wildflower, Ruth explains how every flower blooms on schedule:
- The crocus emerges while snow is still on the ground.
- The dahlia doesn’t bloom until late summer or fall.
Neither is early. Neither is late. And neither are you.
Listener Questions: Passions, Lists, and Overwhelm
Candace and Ruth answer two powerful listener questions from Nikolina and Charity, addressing:
- Discouragement when passions don’t “work” immediately
- How to discern direction when prayer feels confusing
- Why some people struggle with task lists
- What spiritual warfare can look like in areas of overwhelm
- Their responses gently guide listeners toward faithfulness, not perfection.
You’re Not Behind—You’re Becoming
This episode is a reminder that your season is intentional. Your pace is not a mistake.
And God never rushes what He is lovingly shaping.
Go deeper:
Download the free Advent Guide at Candace.com
Read Emmanuel and The Way of the Wildflower by Ruth
Join the Together Community at Candace.com/together