Laura L. Smith
12 min read ⭑
“God is always there, and his love is everlasting. When things feel out of control or when I don’t have the words, the psalms are prayers I can pray.”
QUESTION #1: ACQUAINT
There’s much more to food than palate and preference. How does a go-to meal at your favorite hometown restaurant reveal the true you behind the web bio?
The rich scent of coffee hits me as I open the door to Kofenya. So does Frank Sinatra or one of his pals crooning in the early morning hours to please the three older gentlemen huddled over their crossword puzzles. In the midmorning, it’s something soulful to cater to the college students mixed with snippets of conversations and espresso beans whirring.
This is the soundtrack of the local coffee shop in our college town of Oxford, Ohio. This is where I treat myself to steaming rich mochas made with macadamia milk, but it’s also where my older son works, where I’ve sat in squishy sofas and wooden booths and high-backed chairs as I’ve chatted with friends old and new, held meetings, and even flirted with my husband on weekly coffee dates.
During COVID-19, when everything else shut down, our family treated ourselves twice a week to a large mobile order. All four kids had been sent home from school to learn online, so we looked forward to the “getting out” of picking up our food and drinks in the vestibule where the faithful workers left it on an honor system — sticky notes with our name scribbled across in Sharpie attached.
This simple act of picking up coffee was a splurge and a delight when everything else felt constricted. With the doors to everything open again, walking in Kofenya is still a splurge and a delight. I can’t remember the last time I entered and didn’t see someone I know #collegetownliving.
I have no idea how many meaningful conversations I’ve had within the walls of Kofenya, how many prayers I’ve prayed. Sure, they make a mean mocha, but the wood floors and walls hanging with local artwork is so much more than a coffee shop to me — it’s a place that feels like home.
QUESTION #2: REVEAL
We’ve all got quirky proclivities and out-of-the-way interests. So what are yours? What so-called "nonspiritual" activities do you love and help you find spiritual renewal?
There is a moment in the late afternoons or early evenings when I walk downstairs from my writing nook or come in the door from picking up one of the kids from school or practice.
As I enter the kitchen, I open the fridge and pull out whatever ingredients I’ll need to prepare that evening’s meal, and then I’ll open a cupboard. I don’t pull any food out of this cupboard — just a box of matches.
I turn toward the stove, strike a match (the sound of the spark signaling the ritual), and light a candle.
The scent of vanilla or pine or lavender or pumpkin spice or whatever candle I currently have in the kitchen permeates the air.
My shoulders relax. I exhale. Working as a creative there is no time card to punch, no whistle that blows, no train to catch, no emptying of the office. But this small moment marks for me the end of my workday and the beginning of evening, a time to unwind.
QUESTION #3: CONFESS
Every superhero has a weakness. Every human, too. We're just good at faking it. But who are we kidding? We’re broken and in this thing together. So what’s your kryptonite and how do you hide it?
Fire ants get their name not because they’re red — although some of them are — but because when they bite you, it burns like fire. And when you get bit by a swarm of them, which is how they prefer to operate, your whole body feels like it’s on fire.
It’s much worse if you’re allergic to their venom, like me. Fire ants are my kryptonite. The first time I got attacked by a swarm, I ended up in the hospital with my blood pressure crashing, and I’m honestly incredibly blessed to still be here writing this today.
One bite from one ant and I’m yanking out my EpiPen and calling 911.
That’s one of the reasons we live in Ohio, where it’s too cold for fire ants. And when I go down south I carry my EpiPen, never wear sandals or go barefoot (even though I prefer it), and even wear ugly “beach shoes” on the beach to protect myself.
QUESTION #4: FIRE UP
Tell us about your toil. How are you investing your professional time right now? What’s your obsession? And why should it be ours?
The whole COVID-19 season left our home in one giant mass of emotions. Our four kids — ranging from college age to middle school — were sent home to complete the last couple of months of the school year online, not to mention all of their games, dances, shows and competitions were canceled.
On any given day, any given Smith could be full of joy and delight as the weather warmed, as we found the freedom to sleep in and work at our own pace, and as we gathered as a family for evening meals and daily walks — something that’s super hard to arrange with our typical busy schedules. But we could also be sad, lonely, anxious, stressed, worried or even angry at the way the world had turned upside down. It got me thinking about our emotions and how God is with us in the midst of all of them, that the world we live in is unpredictable and volatile, but our God is faithful.
That’s what led me to the Book of Psalms. There are psalms of sheer joy and celebration and psalms of despair and mourning. Some psalms even waver back and forth between fear and trust, sorrow and gladness. But throughout each one, God is always there. He never leaves us. His love is everlasting. When things feel out of control or when I don’t have the words, the psalms are prayers I can pray. There is a psalm for almost anything and everything I’m feeling.
As a result, I’ve been writing a book on Psalms, which entailed reading these passages in multiple translations, listening to songs derived from them (after all, they were originally written as songs), and reflecting on why they were written in the first place and on how they apply to you and me today.
I’ve learned that the psalms are a balm for my heart. In the course of writing “Restore My Soul: The Power and Promise of 30 Psalms,” I felt God reminding me of who he is for me, for you, for all of us.
As I spent months in the psalms, God reminded me of important truths, such as the fact that he is our protector, he guides our steps, he hems us in, his love endures forever, he is the Maker of all things, the world shouts of his glory, he hears our cries, he would do anything to save us (and he already has — Psalm 22), and ultimately, he restores our souls.
When I stay focused on those truths, I am at peace, my strength is renewed and my heart is full of joy.
As Psalm 96:2,3 (ESV) states, I want to “sing to the Lord, bless his name” and “declare his glory!”
QUESTION #5: BOOST
Cashiers, CEOs, contractors or customer service reps, we all need grace flowing into us and back out into the world. How does the Holy Spirit invigorate your work? And how do you know it's God when it happens?
I feel like all of my writing is simply taking dictation from God.
I’ll be playing putt-putt with my kids, and God will whisper how cool it is that we all approach the game so completely differently. I’ll then marvel at how uniquely he created each of us — and I’ll know this is a blog in the working.
I’ll want to write a chapter about community, and my mom will share with me a story about her amazing group of friends and how they gathered to stuff Easter baskets for a group of underprivileged kids and what a blast they had — and voila! I have the perfect anecdote to add to my chapter.
The words I read in my Bible in the morning are the exact truth I want to emphasize in a different chapter altogether.
A friend shares a story on a walk, I notice a group of friends in line in front of me ... and so it goes.
Paul tells the Ephesians, “By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News. Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ” (Ephesians 3:7,8, NLT).
Yes! I feel Paul’s words resonating within me!
I am the least deserving and yet God gives me the privilege of telling others about his endless, faithful, all-encompassing love. Not by anything I do on my own, but by his grace and power.
It’s true, you know, God’s love for you is all around. The more you look for it, the more you find it. And the more you find it, the more you can’t help but marvel at it. And for me, when I marvel at it, I feel the need to share it. So I write it down or speak it aloud and pray that when I do, those who read or hear will also be more aware of God’s abundant love for them.
QUESTION #6: inspire
Scripture and tradition beckon us into the rich and varied actions that open our hearts to the presence of God. So spill it, which spiritual practice is workin' best for you right now?
While our small group was going through a study on the spiritual disciplines, one woman shared that for Lent (the season leading up to Easter dedicated to contemplation on what Jesus did for us) a few years back, she had spent 10 minutes each day in prayer.
“I could do that,” I thought. And so, this year for Lent, that’s exactly what I did. Every day — sometimes in the middle of the day — I went into our closet, shut the door so I was completely in the dark away from all distractions, set the timer on my phone for 10 minutes, got down on my knees, lowered my face down until I feel the fuzzy carpet on my forehead, and prayed.
I thanked God for family, health, our home and spring flowers. I prayed for our kids, my husband, my mom, friends, acquaintances, anyone who has asked for prayer and other people who I knew needed prayer. I prayed for Ukraine and the church (both globally and locally). I talked to Jesus about all the gunk — the things that worried or scared or stressed me. Sometimes I sat in silence — asking Jesus what he wanted me to know, praising him for being the truth and thanking him for his kingdom, which is so much better than the world we live in.
Every day the alarm sounded way before I ran out of things to pray. Some days I lingered. Some days I didn’t.
Every day I came out more at peace than when I entered my prayer closet. It reminded me that God is always with me, always listening, always caring.
He reassures me that he is in control, even when I can’t see it, that he loves the people I love even more than I do and that he loves me.
This practice made such an impact on me that I decided to continue this practice after Lent ended. I read my Bible each morning and spend time talking to Jesus then.
I pray throughout the day as things pop up and also with my kids and husband each night before I close my eyes.
But this midday 10 minutes — it’s a daily reset, a purging of my worries and fears, an opportunity to exercise gratitude (which is a game-changer for my perspective) and a moment to get away from everything else and sit with Jesus, allowing him to restore my soul.
QUESTION #7: FOCUS
Our email subscribers get free ebooks featuring our favorite resources — lots of things that have truly impacted our faith lives. But you know about some really great stuff, too. What are some resources that have impacted you?
My husband and I have read and listened to so many Christian resources on marriage because we know our marriage is a gift from God and want to live it out aligned with him. But for a while, we struggled to find something that resonated. Some resources came across as cheesy, boring, condemning, designed for troubled marriages only or irrelevant to real life and real love.
Then we found “Loveology” by John Mark Comer. It was everything we were looking for. The content is so authentic, biblical and relevant, which created tons of great, real conversations. We loved the book so much that we’ve read through it together twice, watched John Mark Comer’s sermon series by the same name and purchased a stack of copies of “Loveology” that we pass out to friends looking for any advice or material on Christian relationships.
Several years ago, my publisher at the time sent me a copy of “The Message” version of the Bible. The modern phrasing of these ancient texts stopped me in my tracks. “The Message” brought to life passages that had seemed less important to me before and gave me a fresh view of familiar passages that sometimes lost their zing for me. I still love my “New International Version” and “New Living Translation” and read them both often, but when I read certain Bible passages in “The Message,” specifically the letters of Paul, the words jump out at me and speak directly to my heart.
We all have things we cling to to survive (or thrive) in tough times. Name one resource you’ve found indispensable in this current season — and tell us what it's done for you.
I’ve always been a music lover! I listen to music in the car, when I run, while I cook — whenever. Maverick City Music is the band you’ll see most on my Spotify these days. During the 2020 shutdown, it was their music that played in my AirPods and kept me grounded while the world was spinning.
I’ve been listening to them ever since because their music speaks deeply to my soul. When I’m exhausted from this busy writing season, their music reminds me that God will renew my strength. When I’m worried about one of my kids, their songs remind me that God is more than enough for all our problems.
When I play the dangerous comparison game and start to be jealous of someone else’s career or ministry, playing Mav City reminds me of how loved I am by God, just as I am.
Mav City weaves together biblical truths, upbeat rhythms, old hymns and innovative sounds to create gorgeous songs that remind me who I am and who the God who loves me is. My suggestion? Add them to your playlist and put their songs on repeat.
QUESTION #8: dream
God is continually stirring new things in each of us. So give us the scoop! What’s beginning to stir in you but not yet fully awakened? What can we expect from you in the future?
About a year and a half ago, I started seeing a counselor. I have some trauma from my childhood, and I thought I had dealt with it fairly well. After all, I have a strong faith, I know and believe that Jesus loves and restores me, and I have a wonderful husband and awesome kids who love me well. But there was still something broken inside of me.
Even though the process of caring for my mental health has been hard at times, I’ve come to realize how important it is. I’ve learned that Jesus wants restoration for us. He wants fullness and complete healing not just of our bodies and souls but of our minds as well. And so I’m digging into this space because I long for everyone to experience the freedom I’m learning to receive.
I’m currently working on two different projects that remind people of how much Jesus truly cares about our mental health, and I’m so excited to see how God is going to use them.
This is a sticky space, though, because in order to create these projects, I need to expose some of my broken parts and some of the challenges of my journey. I have to admit that there are cracks and fissures inside me and that my healing is a work in progress — a long one. But that’s also the very reason I feel so compelled to write and speak about how faith plays into our mental health — because we all have cracks inside. And we’re not called to cover them up with makeup or filters or catchy captions or success stories. We’re not called to duct tape or Elmer’s glue them back together by ourselves.
Jesus wants to make us whole, and he invites us into the healing process. I can’t wait to share more soon! Until then, please know how much Jesus loves you — inside and out, no matter what you’ve been through or are experiencing.
The renowned psychologist Abraham Maslow listed “belonging” in the middle of his hierarchy of basic human needs. He recognized it as the reason we form groups, bond with others over similarities and long for family and friendship.
But what truly drives this particular need? Could it be that our hunger to belong is actually a desire to be loved?
One of the last things Jesus told his disciples was, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love” (John 15:9, ESV).
With these simple words, Jesus satisfies this need to be fully loved and to belong. Because with him — unlike this fickle world — our belonging isn’t based on our merits or how well we fit in. As Laura pointed out several times in this interview, it’s based on his unchanging nature. And because of that, it’s the only love that can truly satisfy and restore our souls.
Laura Smith is a popular speaker and author who has written nonfiction books for adults, pre-teens and kids, including the bestselling How Sweet the Sound: The Power and Promise of 30 Beloved Hymns as well as two fiction series for young adults. A fan of coffee, chocolate, music, books and travel, Smith lives in the picturesque college town of Oxford, Ohio, with her husband and four kids. There you’ll find her running wooded trails, strolling brick streets, teaching Bible studies, shopping at the Saturday morning farmer’s market or enjoying a sunset walk with her family. Follow her on Instagram @laurasmithauthor.
