Congratulations to Andrew and Rachel Wilson, whose book The Life We Never Expected: Hopeful Reflections on the Challenges of Parenting Children with Special Needs (Crossway, 2016; foreword by Russell Moore) is World Magazine’s Book of the Year in the category of accessible theology.
Susan Olasky writes:
The Wilsons begin their short but powerful book in an arresting way: “This is a book about surviving, and thriving, spiritually when something goes horribly wrong.” Their somethings are two children, apparently normal at birth, who developed regressive autism, losing over time their ability to do the normal things that children do. The Wilsons invite readers into the messy reality of their lives, their exhaustion, and the strains on their marriage. They paint a picture of difficult yet delightful children. And they show how they make sense of their lives in the light of Christ. The book carries the reader through cycles of weeping, worshipping, waiting, and witnessing. It’s theologically rich and full of hope that in the face of many unknowns “the future will include the grace, blessing, and goodness of God.”
For more on the book, see this written interview with TGC and TGC review (it was TGC’s Book of the Year in the category of Christian Living), along with this podcast interview with the Wilsons, hosted by Alastair Roberts.
[For other categories in the World Magazine Books of the Year, go here.]
Here are some more endorsements of the work:
“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, Executive Director, seeJesus; author, A Praying Life and A Loving Life
“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, Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission
“This is a helpful book both for those experiencing disability in their families and for those who love such families—not because of how the Wilsons are ‘dealing’ with disability but in how they rightly orient to our great and purposeful God. Having parented a child with multiple disabilities for more than two decades, I smiled regularly at their honest portrayal of life with disability. Anger, disappointment, and confusion along with delight and insight are offered in right measures. As both Andrew and Rachel point out, families like ours frequently do not experience the ‘great resolution’ about the circumstances of our lives, but we can always trust the promises of the One who made and sustains us and who will ultimately make all things new.”
—John Knight
“I am not a parent of children with special needs. In fact, I’m not a parent at all. Even so, I couldn’t put this book down. The Life We Never Expected is about so much more than parenting. It is about loss, lament, hope, humility, contentment, joy—and about finding God to be more than sufficient through it all.”
—Karen Prior, Professor of English, Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia
“This is a poignant and delightfully forthright book, written by parents who are still clearly raw from their experiences. Here is hard-earned wisdom, biblical realism, and winning sensitivity. Recommended for all in the throes of suffering and for all who would comfort them.”
—Michael Reeves, Director of Union and Senior Lecturer, Wales Evangelical School of Theology
