Jillian Benfield
Author, Speaker, Parent Advocate
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.
My second book, Overwhelmed & Grateful, is about being alive to the whole of life. Because life is hard & life is good. Your losses are real, your hard things are real. Even your smaller things- like your overstuffed calendar is real, too. &- we get a choice. We can choose to only see our difficulties and drown. Or, we can choose to also keep our eyes open to the beauty playing out alongside them & live. With the tool of “&” we can be more honest & we can be more grateful.
The Gift of the Unexpected
What if the unexpected is the beginning of becoming your truest self?
Jillian Benfield was living life in the spotlight as a TV journalist, but after receiving a life-altering diagnosis for her unborn son, she realized no camera-ready outfit could dress up her grief. Overcoming this unexpected circumstance wasn’t an option. She would have to undergo it instead. In doing so, she discovered who she was and who God wanted her to become.
In this riveting story filled with grit and grace, Jillian helps you break down the false constructs you’ve built around God and your identity. You won’t avoid your pain, but you’ll learn to feel it, in a healing way. And you’ll discover how your internal transformation leads to external purpose.
No matter what you’re going through, you’re invited to open this gift: The Gift of the Unexpected
Overwhelmed & Grateful
We want to live with joy. But life is hard. Culture tells us to ignore the hard and focus on the positive. But science shows that actually makes us more depressed and physically ill. In her transparent, hopeful way, Jillian Benfield shows how we can live with the joy Jesus promises–not by ignoring our dark circumstances and emotions, but by practicing a truer way of living: embracing the “&” in life.
Through sharing psalms, scientific findings, personal stories, and journaling prompts, Jillian offers encouraging, practical ways we can be real about our hard things & be grateful for the good things. She shows how we can be honest about our hardships & aware of God’s goodness. We can acknowledge our pain & keep our eyes open to the beauty still unfolding. We can be overwhelmed, grieving, stressed, angry, confused, and unsure & we can be grateful.
Because the truth is, life is hard & life is beautiful. True gratitude is found at this intersection & leads to the joyful, abundant life God promises–no matter what is going on around us.
