When unexpected moments change life trajectory, we’re left with a choice: Do we overcome the unexpected, as the world recommends, or undergo it?

Author Jillian Benfield says undergoing an unexpected season begins a transformation that deconstructs our old self and reconstructs us into who God intends us to become.

"I believe your unexpected moment, your unexpected life, holds the same potential for you,” Jillian writes.“But only if you resist society’s instance on overcoming the unexpected and choose instead to undergo it.”

In her book The Gift of the Unexpected, Jillian uses her own life-altering moment—her son’s Down syndrome and congenital heart defect diagnoses—to encourage readers not to gloss over the hard parts of the human condition. Instead, she says, undergoing the unexpected gives us the opportunity to let go of our old selves, tearing down false beliefs about our identities, humanity, and the divine.

In a culture where the prosperity gospel (control) and the American dream(achievement) are glorified, God uses the unexpected to disorient us from the ideals of Western society. His surprising gift equips believers to relate to the world’s pain and recognize how our worth and purpose rest in Him.

Today on Connections, Jillian shares her powerful story and how she was able to undergo rather than overcome the unexpected.