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We Shall All Be Changed: How Facing Death with Loved Ones Transforms Us
Death teaches us how to live. When Whitney K. Pipkin’s mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer, she wasn’t ready. How could she be? She searched for resources that could help her walk through this heavy yet sacred time in her life. But she struggled to find the guidance she longed for in a season of anticipatory grief. We Shall All Be Changed is a companion for those experiencing the lonely season of suffering and death. In this book, Whitney reaches across the pages to hold the hand of the caregiver. Walking through death with a loved one can be incredibly isolating and unsettling. This book reminds us that we can experience God’s very presence in life’s dark and deep valleys. As Whitney draws from her own experience, she sheds light and hope. She shows that we are not alone. And she reveals the mysterious way that God ministers to and transforms us through death and suffering. Beautifully honest and theologically rich, Whitney invites us to consider death so that we might understand life and how to live it. Rather than wanting to run from discussions of death—as I did for so long—I now want to press into them, to wring from one of the hardest trials life has to offer every drop of sanctification and glory. I see now that having a front seat to my mom’s final days has forever changed the ones I have left to live. —Whitney Pipkin A book for those who are caring for the sick and dying . . . for those who will care for parents, family, or friends in their last days . . . and for those who have already walked this journey. This book is for us.
208 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2024
64 people are currently reading
993 people want to read
About the author
Whitney K. Pipkin
1 book17 followersWHITNEY K. PIPKIN lives with her husband, three children, and a dog named Honeybun in Northern Virginia, where where she works as a journalist. She has worked as a journalist for over 13 years, with articles appearing in The Washington Post, National Geographic and NPR alongside her regular work at the Chesapeake Bay Journal. She also has written for Christian publications such as The Gospel Coalition, The ERLC and Gospel-Centered Discipleship and serves as the Written Content Coordinator for the ministry Women & Work. She loves studying the Bible with her local church and reading on Sunday afternoons while her kids play (quietly?) nearby. You can find her on social media @whitneykpipkin and sign up for her newsletter at whitneykpipkin.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
May 13, 2024
So beautiful. I have already bought copies to give to friends and I know I will share it again and again because we will all lose those we love at some point. This is a lovely, well-written companion for biblical grief and lament.
October 2, 2024
This is a heavy, but needful topic. Grief is something we all process differently, yet as Christians there is a common lens through which we can sorrow.
I found this book to be raw, honest, sad, yet beautiful and hopeful-filled! The author lost her mother to a 20 year battle with cancer, so she has a unique perspective on loss.
I think this book would be hard to read if you are going through the active stages of losing someone or immediately after. But I think it would be a definite help to read before you experience a significant loss or in the grieving process after.
The front cover is a painting by her Grandma Ruth. I found that particularly sweet and beautiful.
I did so much highlighting throughout, but here are a few quotes:
📖 “Only when you know how to die can you know how to live.” - J.I. Packer
📖 “Psalm 77 is the language of a people who believe in God sovereignty, but live in the real world of tragedy.”
📖 “When we lament, we are turning toward God, rather than away. Our prayer then becomes a bold declaration of at least two truths: I am hurting, and You are a God who hears.”
📖 “Before he conquered the very existence of death, he mourned it.”
📖 “You’d never know, should your pain quickly flee,
What it means that my grace is sufficient for thee.
Yes, your dearest dreams overnight would come true,
But, oh the loss, if you missed what I’m doing in you.”
“Wait” by Russell Kelfer
📖 “The best thing He could give these siblings (Mary and Martha) whom he profoundly loved, was not immediate answer to their prayers, but revelation of himself.”
📖 “The Savior who fell under death’s curse, didn’t just come out from under it. In his exaltation, he reigns over it.”
📖 “I felt in that moment, like we walked her to the gates of glory, and doing so, got to peek inside ourselves. The glow of that eternal peace radiated warmth back onto us. She was changed, and so were we.” 💜
📖 “To grieve is to wonder if the dark cloud you’re living under will ever lift. It is to look back and see: it was the shadow of his wings.”
Length: 200 pages
Definitely a 5🌟 read!
Thank you to Moody Publishers for a copy in exchange for my honest review.
I found this book to be raw, honest, sad, yet beautiful and hopeful-filled! The author lost her mother to a 20 year battle with cancer, so she has a unique perspective on loss.
I think this book would be hard to read if you are going through the active stages of losing someone or immediately after. But I think it would be a definite help to read before you experience a significant loss or in the grieving process after.
The front cover is a painting by her Grandma Ruth. I found that particularly sweet and beautiful.
I did so much highlighting throughout, but here are a few quotes:
📖 “Only when you know how to die can you know how to live.” - J.I. Packer
📖 “Psalm 77 is the language of a people who believe in God sovereignty, but live in the real world of tragedy.”
📖 “When we lament, we are turning toward God, rather than away. Our prayer then becomes a bold declaration of at least two truths: I am hurting, and You are a God who hears.”
📖 “Before he conquered the very existence of death, he mourned it.”
📖 “You’d never know, should your pain quickly flee,
What it means that my grace is sufficient for thee.
Yes, your dearest dreams overnight would come true,
But, oh the loss, if you missed what I’m doing in you.”
“Wait” by Russell Kelfer
📖 “The best thing He could give these siblings (Mary and Martha) whom he profoundly loved, was not immediate answer to their prayers, but revelation of himself.”
📖 “The Savior who fell under death’s curse, didn’t just come out from under it. In his exaltation, he reigns over it.”
📖 “I felt in that moment, like we walked her to the gates of glory, and doing so, got to peek inside ourselves. The glow of that eternal peace radiated warmth back onto us. She was changed, and so were we.” 💜
📖 “To grieve is to wonder if the dark cloud you’re living under will ever lift. It is to look back and see: it was the shadow of his wings.”
Length: 200 pages
Definitely a 5🌟 read!
Thank you to Moody Publishers for a copy in exchange for my honest review.
January 25, 2025
Brave, tender, brilliant. This is not only a book for those who are actively dying (or caring for someone who is), but one for all of us who will one day face death. I wholeheartedly recommend this to every believer.
July 22, 2024
{full review posted here:https://www.amberthiessen.com/post/we...}
Though death exerts pain and suffering, the Christian is immune from despair. Paul writes to the church at Philippi, that whether free or imprisoned, in the moments he lives or dies, Christ will be honored (Phil. 1:20). He writes with passion and conviction, but I'm not sure we all feel exactly the same way.
Death is sobering, excruciating even. Especially when we're watching a loved one suffer.
It's not a topic we run to unless we're in it, but nevertheless the psalmist writes, "teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom" (Ps. 90:12).
We Shall All Be Changed: How Facing Death with Loved Ones Transforms Us by Whitney Pipkin is a title that engages your heart and mind on the journey through caregiving in light of the gospel.
*A big thanks to Moody publishers for the complimentary copy of the book and for the opportunity to post an honest review
Though death exerts pain and suffering, the Christian is immune from despair. Paul writes to the church at Philippi, that whether free or imprisoned, in the moments he lives or dies, Christ will be honored (Phil. 1:20). He writes with passion and conviction, but I'm not sure we all feel exactly the same way.
Death is sobering, excruciating even. Especially when we're watching a loved one suffer.
It's not a topic we run to unless we're in it, but nevertheless the psalmist writes, "teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom" (Ps. 90:12).
We Shall All Be Changed: How Facing Death with Loved Ones Transforms Us by Whitney Pipkin is a title that engages your heart and mind on the journey through caregiving in light of the gospel.
*A big thanks to Moody publishers for the complimentary copy of the book and for the opportunity to post an honest review
June 6, 2024
Beautiful, raw, comforting, hopeful. An excellent resource for those facing or grieving the loss of a loved one (especially a parent).
January 19, 2025
What a beautiful book. Please read this. Six stars.
March 22, 2024
Since the passing of my beloved grandmother two years ago, I've become somewhat of a connosseiur of the death memoir. As I conceived of and typed out that sentence, however, I realize that this book does not propose to be a memoir at all. Because I was expecting it to be more like the memoirs I've read, I was not prepared for the sheer density.
I can definitely tell this was written by a journalist. The amount of research and footnotes became a little tiring to follow in such a short space. I almost felt more like I was reading a school essay than a completed book. Then again, most of my nonfiction choices are laid out such that the notes are all congregated in the back and I can easily skip right past them.
That is really my only complaint about this book though. I will say that I would recommend this for someone who is either very steeped in biblical history and/or very strong in their religious convictions. As a newer convert to Christianity, reading this theologically rich prose was affirming. I could see how it would be very limiting to someone who is less theologically inclined.
I can definitely tell this was written by a journalist. The amount of research and footnotes became a little tiring to follow in such a short space. I almost felt more like I was reading a school essay than a completed book. Then again, most of my nonfiction choices are laid out such that the notes are all congregated in the back and I can easily skip right past them.
That is really my only complaint about this book though. I will say that I would recommend this for someone who is either very steeped in biblical history and/or very strong in their religious convictions. As a newer convert to Christianity, reading this theologically rich prose was affirming. I could see how it would be very limiting to someone who is less theologically inclined.
April 14, 2025
My mom had just died after being on hospice at 63 years old too and I felt the author speaking directly to my loss. This brought immense healing and validation of grief.
We know the finish line exists, but we don’t know when it will arrive. God’s waiting room, as my aunt so succinctly labeled it. “With every painful step, my spirit longs all the more for mom’s suffering to end, for her new life to begin—“
“I wish I could believe that you’re looking down and cheering from heaven. I think you’re probably doing something better, consumed with the glory of doing what your soul was created to do. If you’re cheering us at all, it’s toward the true finish line, eyes fixed on the Author and Perfecter of our faith”.
We know the finish line exists, but we don’t know when it will arrive. God’s waiting room, as my aunt so succinctly labeled it. “With every painful step, my spirit longs all the more for mom’s suffering to end, for her new life to begin—“
“I wish I could believe that you’re looking down and cheering from heaven. I think you’re probably doing something better, consumed with the glory of doing what your soul was created to do. If you’re cheering us at all, it’s toward the true finish line, eyes fixed on the Author and Perfecter of our faith”.
February 2, 2026
So, so good.
February 3, 2026
Truly broke my heart listening to this. But grief and death and fear are so hard to deal with and I thought she did a lovely job pointing us straight towards Christ. I will 100% be reading again.
February 10, 2025
This book came on my radar a few weeks ago. I immediately bought it and started reading it, not knowing what the next few weeks would hold. Finished it last night and the truth of God has ministered to me greatly in perfect timing.
Sometimes you don't have a theology of death until you're forced to. Death isn't something we want to think about, but we would do well to thoughtfully consider it and to prepare our hearts before we suddenly find ourselves faced with it, or just to be able to minister to others walking through grief. Whether you have experienced walking through the death of a loved one, or haven't yet but know its inevitability, this book is for you. Sometimes Christians think that grief isn't something we should struggle with because we know Christ who conquered sin and death for us.
But death is an enemy.
Although death has lost its sting, grief is a very real thing, even for the believer.
We grieve because we LOVE.
In this book, Whitney beautifully lays out this truth: that we can "(hold) two things in tension: God's eternal goodness and our present pain." And she does so as she shares with us her own story of grief and pain, knowing the goodness of God by experience, in caring for her mother through her last days battling cancer.
Sometimes you don't have a theology of death until you're forced to. Death isn't something we want to think about, but we would do well to thoughtfully consider it and to prepare our hearts before we suddenly find ourselves faced with it, or just to be able to minister to others walking through grief. Whether you have experienced walking through the death of a loved one, or haven't yet but know its inevitability, this book is for you. Sometimes Christians think that grief isn't something we should struggle with because we know Christ who conquered sin and death for us.
But death is an enemy.
Although death has lost its sting, grief is a very real thing, even for the believer.
We grieve because we LOVE.
In this book, Whitney beautifully lays out this truth: that we can "(hold) two things in tension: God's eternal goodness and our present pain." And she does so as she shares with us her own story of grief and pain, knowing the goodness of God by experience, in caring for her mother through her last days battling cancer.
February 2, 2024
In this theologically rich, honest, and deep book, Pipkin gives Christians a framework for how to think about death of a loved one, as her mother had a 20-year long battle with cancer. Pipkin weaves together a tapestry of truth that is rooted in scripture and is beautiful to read. Her chapters and sections on suffering and grief truly shine as evidenced by the following quote:
"But the gospel tells me that my Savior does not call down and tell me it's time to climb out. No, He came down, put on flesh, and crawled into the mirenwith me. When we turn to Christ in the isolation of grief, we see that there are already tears on His face. We don't need to explain what this pain feels like. Instead, we are reminded that He felt all of this - and more - for us. "
I have not walked through death of a loved one, but still found this book very encouraging and will be buying copies for people I know who have walked/are walking through this. It's an incredible resource.
"But the gospel tells me that my Savior does not call down and tell me it's time to climb out. No, He came down, put on flesh, and crawled into the mirenwith me. When we turn to Christ in the isolation of grief, we see that there are already tears on His face. We don't need to explain what this pain feels like. Instead, we are reminded that He felt all of this - and more - for us. "
I have not walked through death of a loved one, but still found this book very encouraging and will be buying copies for people I know who have walked/are walking through this. It's an incredible resource.
August 24, 2024
A powerful book for a time of grief. Death teaches us how to live.
Read
March 18, 2024Whitney Pipkin beautifully shares the journey she walked alongside her mother as she battled cancer for years. This is not a book filled with Christian cliches. Whitney includes the dark moments she experienced, while pointing to the light of the gospel. You will be encouraged to consider a theology of death and will be comforted knowing that you are not alone in your suffering.
I have not experienced the death of a loved one, so my review may be shorter than those who have. However, I deeply appreciate this book and believe it will be a balm to those who have. Thank you for my copy @moodypublishers.
I have not experienced the death of a loved one, so my review may be shorter than those who have. However, I deeply appreciate this book and believe it will be a balm to those who have. Thank you for my copy @moodypublishers.
June 24, 2025
Beautifully written and full of rich theology along with a memoir that gave me great comfort.
“Our kids are young, and our lives are full, and it feels like there’s not enough space to process what we’ve just endured. And yet, we must.”
“This is how facing death and loss transforms us. From the messy middle places of our own lives, we’re reminded of the end. And we get to live the rest of our days in light of it. The genuineness of our faith is tested by these fires that refine, preparing us - even through pain - for splendor”
“Our kids are young, and our lives are full, and it feels like there’s not enough space to process what we’ve just endured. And yet, we must.”
“This is how facing death and loss transforms us. From the messy middle places of our own lives, we’re reminded of the end. And we get to live the rest of our days in light of it. The genuineness of our faith is tested by these fires that refine, preparing us - even through pain - for splendor”
September 8, 2024
Such a beautiful book! Read it as I walk thru the death of a dearly loved one. Wept but was also deeply comforted. There is a heavy glory in death, especially the death of a believer. There are treasures to be mined. Kipkin bravely, honestly and tenderly walks thru these treasures that are found in the dark. Loved especially the chapters on letting go, and on birth and dying.
August 31, 2025
As someone who also lost a parent to a long term fight with cancer, I was grateful for the relatability of her experience. It helped me piece together some things for future processing.
This book also came to me during a time when seeing the resurrection in the midst of death has been impossible. Grateful to be pointed to Scripture.
This book also came to me during a time when seeing the resurrection in the midst of death has been impossible. Grateful to be pointed to Scripture.
March 11, 2024
“Our hope is not just that the suffering will one day end, though it will. Our hope is that it will not be wasted. Our hope is that the glory to come will be so weighty that it will render the pain of right now comparatively weightless. Our hope is that our present suffering is somehow making us ready for it, working in us the very endurance we need to finish the race.”
There is nothing sweeter than to know our trials and tribulations aren’t without cause, and moreover, to know that it will all be worth it in light of eternity with our Savior. As Pipkin highlights, there are two things that scripture says casts shadows- death and the presence of God. We can rest in knowing that though the valley of the shadow of death looms heavily, there in that same valley is the shadow of His mighty presence looming larger. And there is nobody better to have on your side, mourning with you, than the One who conquered death so that its sting may be no more.
Whitney Pipkins “We Shall All Be Changed” is a testament to the goodness of God from cover to cover. Praise God that we can find peace in the truth that death “is sweet deliverance from all that is hard in this life into the very presence of God.”
There is nothing sweeter than to know our trials and tribulations aren’t without cause, and moreover, to know that it will all be worth it in light of eternity with our Savior. As Pipkin highlights, there are two things that scripture says casts shadows- death and the presence of God. We can rest in knowing that though the valley of the shadow of death looms heavily, there in that same valley is the shadow of His mighty presence looming larger. And there is nobody better to have on your side, mourning with you, than the One who conquered death so that its sting may be no more.
Whitney Pipkins “We Shall All Be Changed” is a testament to the goodness of God from cover to cover. Praise God that we can find peace in the truth that death “is sweet deliverance from all that is hard in this life into the very presence of God.”
May 7, 2024
“The very valley I feared most became the mountaintop from which I peered into the glory of God.”
This book exudes beauty. Pipkin writes about a crushing time in her life (the death of her mother), and shows us the goodness of God. She takes a diagnosis none of us want to hear, and shows us provision. She takes a loved one’s last breath, and shows us a homecoming.
I was blown away, not by Pipkin’s optimism, but by her trust in God during heartbreak (which she didn’t shy away from being honest about).
This is an absolute must-read, for everyone; but you’ll especially enjoy it if you:
•are currently going through the loss of a loved one (don’t wait to read it - it will be such a comfort to you)
•are a caregiver to a loved one
•want an encouraging, honest read about grief
•are trying to understand how dying fits into God’s plan
I can’t say enough good about this book. It is one I will gift to friends/family dealing with death, and one I will reference back to.
Favorite quotes:
“As unwelcome as death is, especially when it takes those we love, it can contain this strange gift for those it leaves behind. It wakes us from our stupor. It whispers to each of us left reeling in its wake, ‘How, then, will I live?’”
“When we lament, we are turning toward God, rather than away. Our prayer then becomes a bold declaration of at least two truths: I am hurting, and You are a God who hears.”
“Your eternal rest does not depend on whether you finished all the work you set out to do. It depends on whether Christ did.”
This book exudes beauty. Pipkin writes about a crushing time in her life (the death of her mother), and shows us the goodness of God. She takes a diagnosis none of us want to hear, and shows us provision. She takes a loved one’s last breath, and shows us a homecoming.
I was blown away, not by Pipkin’s optimism, but by her trust in God during heartbreak (which she didn’t shy away from being honest about).
This is an absolute must-read, for everyone; but you’ll especially enjoy it if you:
•are currently going through the loss of a loved one (don’t wait to read it - it will be such a comfort to you)
•are a caregiver to a loved one
•want an encouraging, honest read about grief
•are trying to understand how dying fits into God’s plan
I can’t say enough good about this book. It is one I will gift to friends/family dealing with death, and one I will reference back to.
Favorite quotes:
“As unwelcome as death is, especially when it takes those we love, it can contain this strange gift for those it leaves behind. It wakes us from our stupor. It whispers to each of us left reeling in its wake, ‘How, then, will I live?’”
“When we lament, we are turning toward God, rather than away. Our prayer then becomes a bold declaration of at least two truths: I am hurting, and You are a God who hears.”
“Your eternal rest does not depend on whether you finished all the work you set out to do. It depends on whether Christ did.”
February 2, 2026
So beautiful. So well-written. This will have a place on my bookshelf to return to. This is not a gloomy book. It is deeply saturated in hope. Really, read it.
December 26, 2024
It is so rare to find a book such as this which is both beautiful AND practically helpful. I so wish this book had been around when my dad and sister died within 8 months of one another several years ago. Pipkin articulates so well the movements of grief, its stubborn and unpredictable nature, but her realism is resoundingly countered by her bold proclamation of the hope we have in Christ. I also find it rare that a writer can weave together memoir / personal story with theology in such a graceful, elegant way as she does here. I was deeply moved and also wonderfully reassured. I'll be giving this book to grieving friends and family for years to come.
February 15, 2024
We Shall All Be Changed was the perfect book for me to read right now as it’s been a season of unexpected loss in my community. Whitney Pipkin has poured her heart into a beautiful book that is sure to stay with me. This is one of those books that will have you crying while simultaneously rejoicing in the blessed assurance we have in Jesus. This book is truly a gift of encouragement, biblical truth, and personal testimony. I am grateful to Whitney Pipkin for sharing her story and providing a theologically rich resource for those who are grieving.
Thank you to the author and publisher for a complimentary copy of this wonderful book! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Favorite quotes:
“Somehow, the day of my mom’s death can be terrible and good at the same time too. Like the making of a new thing. Like the making of all things new. The very valley I feared most became the mountaintop from which I peered into the glory of God.”
“This does not mean that suffering and death are endpoints we opt for any sooner than necessary. As death nears, we hold in delicate tension the sanctity of mortal life and a rising hope of eternal life in Christ. But it does mean that God intends to use every scrap of pain to make us more like Him, to make us ready for His very presence.”
“When grief hollows us out, the hunger pangs of this longing within can grow unbearably loud. This is why we want to run, to keep moving, to distract ourselves, to fill our bellies with anything and everything else. But what if we could learn to hold still, right there in the midst of our great need? What if we found that the ache is the very thing that leads us to the only One who can satisfy it?”
April 8, 2025
I found We Shall All Be Changed while looking for resources to help me navigate caring for my terminally ill mom. I dreaded these words just as much as I craved them. I wept my way through this book, but I also needed these words & reminders from Scripture. Pipkin’s writing is beautiful and empathetic, and she points readers to a wealth of additional resources.
This book reminded me just how important it is to build a healthy theology of death—because death is key to understanding the gospel. Scripture has a lot to say about it, yet we live in a culture that largely ignores death, distracting ourselves with the “good stuff”: the now, the living, and the eternal life to come. But we have to live through Friday to get to Sunday. Death isn’t something we can or should ignore—and understanding it better equips us to walk alongside others facing death.
This is such a raw and honest invitation into the experience of losing a parent: “The death of a parent is like losing the backdrop to your life halfway through the play. These people were the tangible reference points to where you came from and who you’ve become. They’re your biggest earthly influences, for better or worse. To continue living, motherless or fatherless in a world that’s full of them feels, for a while, like walking around with your skin peeled off.”
The tension of simultaneously anticipating and dreading death is summed up well in Pipkin’s very first words in the book: “So far dying is a lot like birthing. Waiting and watching and groaning for what’s next – yet never quite ready. It is a stream of breathy, needy prayers. How long, O Lord? And please not yet. And come, Lord Jesus, come.”
Her chapter, “On the Sidelines” hit me hard. “One of the hardest aspects of facing the diagnosis or death of a loved one is that it’s not about us – and yet it impact us deeply.” That line articulates something I’ve struggled with for so long. Walking through illness and death with my loved ones has shaped so much of who I am. And yet, I’m more than the sum of my losses. Still, it often feels like people only see the girl whose mom is sick, when some days, I just want to be a normal twenty-something figuring out life.
I am overwhelmingly weary from my own caregiving journey, but Whitney reminds her readers that there is much to be gleaned from the process of dying. As much as it hurts, I need to lean in. By not shying away from witnessing death and dying, the gift of life becomes abundantly sweeter.
This book was a dose of tough love I didn’t know I needed—a reminder that even what feels burdensome and exhausting right now is shaping me. It’s hard, good, and sanctifying for me.
This book reminded me just how important it is to build a healthy theology of death—because death is key to understanding the gospel. Scripture has a lot to say about it, yet we live in a culture that largely ignores death, distracting ourselves with the “good stuff”: the now, the living, and the eternal life to come. But we have to live through Friday to get to Sunday. Death isn’t something we can or should ignore—and understanding it better equips us to walk alongside others facing death.
This is such a raw and honest invitation into the experience of losing a parent: “The death of a parent is like losing the backdrop to your life halfway through the play. These people were the tangible reference points to where you came from and who you’ve become. They’re your biggest earthly influences, for better or worse. To continue living, motherless or fatherless in a world that’s full of them feels, for a while, like walking around with your skin peeled off.”
The tension of simultaneously anticipating and dreading death is summed up well in Pipkin’s very first words in the book: “So far dying is a lot like birthing. Waiting and watching and groaning for what’s next – yet never quite ready. It is a stream of breathy, needy prayers. How long, O Lord? And please not yet. And come, Lord Jesus, come.”
Her chapter, “On the Sidelines” hit me hard. “One of the hardest aspects of facing the diagnosis or death of a loved one is that it’s not about us – and yet it impact us deeply.” That line articulates something I’ve struggled with for so long. Walking through illness and death with my loved ones has shaped so much of who I am. And yet, I’m more than the sum of my losses. Still, it often feels like people only see the girl whose mom is sick, when some days, I just want to be a normal twenty-something figuring out life.
I am overwhelmingly weary from my own caregiving journey, but Whitney reminds her readers that there is much to be gleaned from the process of dying. As much as it hurts, I need to lean in. By not shying away from witnessing death and dying, the gift of life becomes abundantly sweeter.
This book was a dose of tough love I didn’t know I needed—a reminder that even what feels burdensome and exhausting right now is shaping me. It’s hard, good, and sanctifying for me.
September 12, 2024
This book has been incredibly healing in my process of grief. Whitney so poetically describes the weight of grief and yet the glimpses of beauty experienced. I could have highlighted the whole book.
“The death of a parent is like losing the backdrop to your life halfway through the play. These people were the tangible reference points to where you came from and who you’ve become. They’re your biggest earthly influences, for better or worse. To continue living motherless or fatherless in a world that’s full of them feels, for a while, like walking around with your skin peeled off.”
“Likewise, if we do not understand and have not tested the doctrines we claim—that God has pointed the arrows of His wrath not at us who deserve it but at His own Son to save us—then every trial can feel like a double trial, leaving us to wonder whether God is truly for us in the midst of it.¹¹ Death can leave us particularly vulnerable to this way of thinking, especially when it strikes sooner than our modern life expectancies predict. The grief that accompanies it hits each of us so uniquely that it can be disorienting and dangerously isolating.
This is when it matters to believe in a Savior who not only conquered death, but also experienced it. “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows” (Isa. 53:4a).”
“The death of a parent is like losing the backdrop to your life halfway through the play. These people were the tangible reference points to where you came from and who you’ve become. They’re your biggest earthly influences, for better or worse. To continue living motherless or fatherless in a world that’s full of them feels, for a while, like walking around with your skin peeled off.”
“Likewise, if we do not understand and have not tested the doctrines we claim—that God has pointed the arrows of His wrath not at us who deserve it but at His own Son to save us—then every trial can feel like a double trial, leaving us to wonder whether God is truly for us in the midst of it.¹¹ Death can leave us particularly vulnerable to this way of thinking, especially when it strikes sooner than our modern life expectancies predict. The grief that accompanies it hits each of us so uniquely that it can be disorienting and dangerously isolating.
This is when it matters to believe in a Savior who not only conquered death, but also experienced it. “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows” (Isa. 53:4a).”
June 24, 2025
In the past 2 1/2 years, our family has endured the loss of 4 loved ones. The losses have ranged from an elderly loved one who suffered significant physical decline to a young man of 32, gone far too soon by our human standards. This books shares so many thoughts that have crossed my mind, in much more eloquent and compelling language. We Shall All Be Changed is eloquent, transparent, truth-filled, tender…. A book that has been so needed for believers grieving the loss or impending loss of loved ones. Whitney lifts high the name of Jesus as she shares her own story of the loss of her mom. I’ve already recommended this work to several friends and will continue to do so.
January 6, 2025
Truly a beautiful book. If you have lost a loved one or are walking alongside a loved one as they approach death, I could not recommend this book enough. Even if death has not touched you personally yet, I would still tell you to read this book. I found myself underlining so much as the author wove together stories of grief and hope alongside solid Gospel truths. This is exactly what I needed to read right now!
January 2, 2026
Deep, honest and genuinely helpful theology for grief; particularly prolonged grief (and its accompanying dread), caregiving and guilt over limitations and imperfect, real relationships. I so appreciate the specificity and humility with which she wrote on her personal experience, while also honoring her mother and keeping Christ and the hope He gives at the center.
April 12, 2025
Pipkin shares her own story of death, the death of her mother, and how it affected her. She examines theological dimensions of death, both for the dying and those left in their absence. This book was a quick and easy read but very thought-provoking and encouraging.
August 25, 2024
4.5 ⭐. A beautifully and gently written book on death from a Christian worldview.
March 8, 2024
It is such a delight when you read a book that is 1) theologically rich; 2) saturated in Scripture; and 3) written beautifully. This particular one happens to be on the subject of dying and death and how God meets us uniquely in that season of loss.
Whitney lost her mom to cancer after a grueling 20 year fight. She candidly shares the joys and also the hidden darkness that we can’t know until we ourselves have watched someone die. She shares out of a heart of vulnerability, bracing fellow co-sufferers with knowledge and support for the road ahead.
I’m so thankful that this book exists. So many times over the past few weeks, I have both reflected on its encouragement for my own benefit, as well as been privileged to share its truths with loved ones.
Whitney lost her mom to cancer after a grueling 20 year fight. She candidly shares the joys and also the hidden darkness that we can’t know until we ourselves have watched someone die. She shares out of a heart of vulnerability, bracing fellow co-sufferers with knowledge and support for the road ahead.
I’m so thankful that this book exists. So many times over the past few weeks, I have both reflected on its encouragement for my own benefit, as well as been privileged to share its truths with loved ones.
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