The Life We Never Expected (Andrew & Rachel Wilson)

The Life We Never Expected

Hopeful Reflections on the Challenges of Parenting Children with Special Needs

Andrew and Rachel Wilson know what it means to live a life they never expected. As the parents of two children with special needs, their story mingles deep pain with deep joy in unexpected places. With raw honesty, they share about the challenges they face on a daily basis—all the while teaching what it means to weep, worship, wait, and hope in the Lord.

Offering encouragement rooted in God’s Word, this book will help you cling to Jesus and fight for joy when faced with a life you never expected.

Endorsements

“What a great book! Andrew and Rachel’s surprise journey with their two autistic children opened the door to knowing God and his ways more deeply. They learned, or should I say experienced, that the gospel isn’t something you just believe; it is something you inhabit when God permits long-term suffering in your life. I’d recommend this book even if your family doesn’t have a child affected by disability—it is soul food.” — Paul E. Miller, author of A Praying Life and A Loving Life

“Weeping, worshiping, waiting, witnessing, and breathing. These are the constant rhythms of my life as a parent to a son with autism. These are also the rhythms of Andrew and Rachel Wilson’s life, beautifully and delicately illustrated in The Life We Never Expected. The Wilsons have managed to do what no other authors have—provide me with clear, promising hope as a special-needs parent and allow me the sacred practice of saying, ‘Me, too.’ Profoundly moving and deeply rooted in the love of Jesus, this book is exactly what I needed. It is a tremendous gift.” — Nish Weiseth, author of Speak: How Your Story Can Change the World

“The Life We Never Expected is an honest, confessional, and hopeful book. It doesn’t flinch from telling the whole truth about the trials of parenting special-needs children, and it reminds us of our need for the gospel every day. This isn’t a book that’s going to tell you to pull yourself up by your bootstraps and try harder. This is a book for those who are on the floor, weeping, because they need to know Jesus is with them.” — Russell D. Moore, president, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention