What if hardships bring us closer to life?

Posted: 1 year ago

What if hardships bring us closer to life?

There is a truth I don’t want to be true. But I have lived it more than once-

Hardships bring us closer to life.

Something happens when living on the edge. The edge of before and after. The edge of life and death. Everything becomes more.

The fog of busyness begins to dissipate when everything is teetering. Mundane leaves. Life sings a bit louder.

And it calls us to take notice.
To take notice of the way the light bounces off the water.
To take notice of how our ideas about independence might need to be updated.
To take notice of our pain so we can really see others in theirs, maybe even for the first time.

Hardships bring us closer to life. The whole of it. The pain that is present and also the beauty. It shows us what’s important and what’s not.

An all-powerful Creator doesn’t need hardships to make himself known. And yet, I have experienced how His light shines a bit brighter in our darkest times. His light points out things we may have never noticed before.

The veil between this world and another becomes a bit thinner.
And we can breathe in this good, difficult, ugly and beautiful life in and breathe out.

We become more alive.
And when that happens, we know, it must be grace.
If this spoke to you, I believe my book, “The Gift of the Unexpected- Discovering Who You Were Meant to be When Life Goes Off Plan” will too
https://amzn.to/3Xuejy3 (affiliate)

Jillian Benfield

I used to be a resurrection person

I used to be a resurrection person. I used to want to skip over the messiness of holy week—the betrayal, the trial, the torture. I

Glass art Marriages

My husband and I have been through hell and back. More than once. We were broken for a time, yes. But instead of staying that

You have permission to live at a different pace than what was once required of you

I wonder if you’re someone who has lived life as if it were an emergency…because it was. Perhaps you’re like me and walked the halls

why i wouldn’t takeaway the pain of my past

“If you could go back and take it away- would you?” My husband asked me this question over a fancy dinner this past weekend. After

Speaker Inquiries & Requests

For all media inquiries, please contact

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

The book is available on