When my son was diagnosed with autism at age two—and later with Fragile X syndrome—I entered a kind of grief I wasn’t prepared for. It wasn’t loud or dramatic. It was quiet, slow, and deeply sacred. It was the grief of letting go of the life I imagined and learning to embrace the one God was writing.
In this deeply personal episode, I open up about the pain, surrender, and beauty that come with raising a child with special needs while clinging to faith in Jesus. I talk about the silent ache of broken expectations, the sacredness of honest lament, and the unexpected closeness of God in the middle of it all.
Grief doesn’t always come from death—it often comes from the loss of an idea, a dream, or a version of life we thought we’d have. But even there, God is present. Even in our most unspoken sorrows, He is faithful. And even when healing doesn’t look the way we hoped, He still gets the glory.
If you’ve ever carried a grief you didn’t choose, or wrestled with faith in the face of life’s hardest questions, this episode is for you. May it remind you that you’re not alone—and that hope still lives here, too.
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On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
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Dateline NBC
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