The Life We Never Expected: Hopeful Reflections on the Challenges of Parenting Children with Special Needs

Regardless of what diagnosis your child holds, it is easy to lose hope and fall into darkness. I love that this book honors that journey, but repeatedly points you back to truth that God is faithful. One of my favorite lines of the book is “it is not my story to save.” Highly recommend if you’re in a season of struggling to cope with the reality that life isn’t quite what you were expecting.

Got this book for my sped class. Great fast read

When our son was diagnosed with an ultra rare genetic disorder, at the beginning of a pandemic, life as we knew it and as we imagined was over. The grieving process left us in despair and hungry for hope.“The life we never expected” has breathed new air in our lungs. It has helped us pause, appreciate our son for who he is and what he CAN do, while understanding our life won’t look like anyone else’s. You won’t be disappointed in this read. Buy an extra one for your purse or your diaper bag. When you see a parent near the end of their rope, give it to them as a life raft. You won’t be sorry.

My husband picked this up shortly after our first son got diagnosed with autism. I refused to read it initially, mainly because I couldn’t handle what I knew was going to be an emotional roller coaster. But when our second son started to regress and show signs of being even more autistic than his older brother, I became desperate enough to read it in spite of how hard I knew it would be.I’m mostly glad I did:) The authors did us the service of writing in the midst their struggle. This takes courage, for a myriad of reasons. But what struck me was their willingness to say “Yeah, we don’t really know what we are doing. But God is good and we trust him.” It’s exactly what I need to hear. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I have two special needs kids. And so are they. The isolation I feel at being in a place that literally NO ONE will understand unless they have experienced it too, diminished, if only by a little bit.There were only a couple things I disagreed with, but that’s to be expected. There’s no manual for how to raise autistic kids simply because no autistic child is the same. I’m grateful this was clear in this book from the outset. My disagreements were mostly theological, but it certainly didn’t detract from the immense help I received from reading this book. I highly suggest parents of special needs children read this, especially if they’re a Christian.

People who know we have an autistic son are surprised we don't read every new Christian book that is published on the topic. My trepidation comes after observing that a sad majority fall into one of two types:In one, the author fails to grasp that an autistic child exists only because we live in a fallen world. We are encouraged by these authors to "celebrate the differences." This requires a level of pretense that becomes more exhausting than living with an autistic child. We are broken, our children are broken, and our only hope is a restoration through Jesus that will only be fully realized in the age to come.The other type of book holds out the hope that if you'll just do what the author's family has done, all will be well. Even a cure is possible, though the "science" is not medically sound. These authors even suggest the righteousness of your choices can be doubted if you reject their methodology.The Wilsons fill a sorely needed void in The Life We Never Expected: they give an uncompromising look at the emotional, spiritual, and familial hardships that come with an autistic child. They recognize their own frailty as they turn again and again to God who may never give us insight into our hardships. His grace is sufficient, none the less, and we can rejoice in the hope to come.This book is a needed salve for those families that will readily identify with the hopes, frustrations, fears, and tears that the Wilsons share.

A great Christian resource for parents! I found this book did not give me the answers on how to fix our life with our epileptic son but gave me reassurance in God who is in control. Highly recommend!

So touching and helpful. I have special needs children (aren’t they all?!) and as a Christian struggled with things other people I fellowship with couldn’t relate to. For example, how can I carve out time for a devotional time during a time when our children’s’ needs exceeded the hours in a day? How can you relate to God when you are so broken for someone else? This book helped dispel the lie that we are alone and that God has forsaken us. I also hope others that want to let the Lord develop empathy for others will read this book. I remember feeling like my closest friends without SN children could never understand what I was going through.As an added note for encouragement, we are not still in the same state we once were in. Our daughters (while still special needs) have grown out of many of the behaviors that literally kept us from sleeping and physically drained us.

This book breathes life and hope into a parent that is feeling overwhelmed and stressed. So grateful for the words of love and encouragement. The relatability is what makes this book everything. I have given this book as a gift so many times. I give it to parents of children with or without special needs because I think it helps everyone see things in a different lens. Can't recommend enough!!

This book came in handy at the point of my life when I felt I had reached rock bottom. It has helped me appreciate God even in my sad situation. After 6 years of waiting, I finally got blessed with a handsome boy. I can remember always thanking God every waking moment for the beautiful gift. It was hard to believe such beautiful gift came out from me.And then 2 years after, we got the life changing diagnosis- Autism and Severe developmental delay. I had many questions for God and still have.....But this book as changed by perspective about my situation. Thank you for taking time out to share!

I picked up this book because I thought it would be a help for a couple who had a child with special needs. I didn't expect it would be such a grace for me too. I recommend the book to everyone

This book is for those in the midst of, or fearful of, dashed hopes and broken dreams and want to hold on to hope in the midst of pain--not some shallow invention of man, but the deep, counterintuitive truth.

I bought this for a friend whose child has a disability from birth. I did not read it before I gave it away but my feedback from the parents is positive.

Brilliant book. Encouraging read and so honest - fantastic read at any stage of life I'd say.