Episode Details

Jillian Benfield got the news that her second child, Anderson, was Down Syndrome. This news was not her life-plan. Then just four months after his birth, he underwent open-heart surgery. Then their third child, Preston suffered medical procedures for the first two years of his life. Jillian wrote her book, The Gift of the Unexpected: Discovering Who You Were Meant to Be When Life Goes Off Plan, not as a how-to book on how to get through life's difficulties; rather she wrote her own story--the good, bad and the ugly--to offer hope. Wise beyond her years, Jillian's story has much to teach us about theology, Western thought, ableism and how if we are willing to put in the work, that God will transform us from the inside out, for our good and for His glory. 

Get this book, for yourself and for a friend. She's giving one away this week. Leave on comment on blog or on social media or email me at sue@welcomeheart.com. 

In her own words:

My life fell apart with a 20-second phone call. We call these moments in life, before-and-after moments. Mine came when I was 27 years old and pregnant with my second child. My life would never be the same, I would never be the same. If you would have told me years ago that my before-and-after moment would end up being one of the greatest gifts of my life, I wouldn’t have believed you. But it was. It is. The unexpected gave me my son. The unexpected ended up giving me, me. That’s what my book, The Gift of the Unexpected, and this space are about. Our unexpected moments, our unexpected lives, can end up helping us live into our God-dreamed entireties.

Some gems from Jillian:

• God doesn't need pretend versions of ourselves, but all of who we are.
• I want my legacy to be one of openness: open to being wrong, to being willing to evolve, to never close off my circle of friends.
• A different kind of life is not a less-than life.
• Western culture wants us "rushing through our pain" rather than learning from it.
• What I've learned is that God continuously provides resurrection for us now, not only at the end of our lives.
• God takes dead things and makes them new when we look to Him, lean on Him and take the next step. 
• To undergo a trial vs overcome a trial takes time, counsel, reflection on who we are at our core and an understanding of what may need some transformation.

Follow Jillian here:

• Website: https://jillianbenfield.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jillianbenfield/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/JillianBenfieldBlog/

_____

When asked, “What’s the greatest commandment?” Jesus replied simply: “Love God, love