Overwhelmed & Grateful: The Key to Finding God's Goodness in All Life's Ups & Downs

by Jillian Benfield, Leslie Means (foreword)

We want to live with joy. But life is hard. Culture tells us to ignore the hard and focus on the positive. But science shows that actually makes us more depressed and physically ill. In her transparent, hopeful way, Jillian Benfield shows how we can live with the joy Jesus promises--not by ignoring our dark circumstances and emotions, but by practicing a truer way of embracing the "&" in life.

Through sharing psalms, scientific findings, personal stories, and journaling prompts, Jillian
offers encouraging, practical ways we can be real about our hard things & be grateful for the good things. She shows how we can be honest about our hardships & aware of God's goodness. We can acknowledge our pain & keep our eyes open to the beauty still unfolding. We can be overwhelmed, grieving, stressed, angry, confused, and unsure & we can be grateful.

Because the truth is, life is hard & life is beautiful. True gratitude is found at this intersection & leads to the joyful, abundant life God promises--no matter what is going on around us.

Genres: Christian

240 pages, Paperback

Published October 7, 2025

Reviews

[Kgbensley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jillian is an excellent, thoughtful, and prayerful writer who takes on hard topics and struggles and views them thru the lens of God, growth and gratitude. The book is beautifully organized and written, with end of chapter reflections and journal prompts.

I appreciated reading the book and listening to the audiobook, read by the author. Her previous experiences as a journalist and news anchor, along with her heartfelt experiences, makes this an excellent listen.

I have bought and gifted multiple copies.

[Bethany Gerdin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had mixed feelings about this one. I really liked the ideas behind the book and found a lot of them meaningful and encouraging, especially for seasons that feel heavy and overwhelming. That said, the writing style just didn’t work for me. It felt rambly and very conversational, and I kept wishing for more structure to help everything flow and connect. Overall, I appreciated the heart and the message, but I think the book would have been stronger with clearer organization within chapters and a tighter writing style.

[Jen Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overwhelmed & Grateful is a powerful book that will transform the way you think. Each day has the potential to hold so much. This book shows us how we can hold seemingly contradictory things simultaneously, sit with others in their life experiences and become people who experience awe in the day-to-day as we realize everything we encounter is from God. I highly recommend this book!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the grounded positivity in this book. The author does not sugarcoat the hard things in life and shares stories from her life that prove she understands how difficult life can be. Yet through providing research and her own insights into combining gratitude with difficulty, she shows the reader how this is possible and doable even when life is overwhelming with grief or disappointment.

[Kelli Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have followed Jillian on social media for several years and read her first book. This book is better. I feel like now I have words for how life can ebb and flow. I love the Psalm at the the end of each chapter for a deep dive into the topics. Living life in the &.

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a must read for me and I highly recommend it to others.

Art helped me see things from a different perspective and release some of my unnecessary guilt. The book gave me starting points to journal and work through issues.

I received this galley from NetGalley.

[Amy Betters-Midtvedt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jillian once again reminds us that we can be both deeply grateful for our lives but also be struggling with difficult situations. Drawing on faith and specific stories she guides us to a place where we can be more deeply at peace with our lives. I also love the journal prompts.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some books bring life with the title alone. The number of times this week that I’ve reminded myself “I am overwhelmed AND grateful” is too many to count. Beyond that, the stories and reminders of life’s complexity were a timely encouragement in a draining season.

[Ginny Yurich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the premise of order and then the messy middle and then reorder