Faith (Full Episode - Archive)Faith (Full Episode - Archive)
Relational Recovery
Wes Thompson and Austin Hill talk about what faith means in a recovery context, connecting belief in God with trust, fear and everyday struggles. They share practical ways to start rebuilding faith, including focusing on trustworthy relationships and small daily moments of gratitude.
31:02•5 Jul 2026
Faith, Fear and Recovery: Trusting God When Life Hurts
Episode Overview
- Faith is described as reliance upon and trust in God, and is linked to the belief that change and growth are possible.
- Trust is especially difficult in a broken world, and struggling with faith is presented as normal rather than a failure.
- Building trust involves practising with people who have shown themselves to be trustworthy, rather than returning to unsafe relationships.
- Faith is set against fear, with fear, shame and hiding named as natural responses that faith gently challenges.
- A practical starting point for those in recovery is to practise gratitude and thankfulness for small good things throughout each day.
“Faith is hard because faith is in direct opposition to fear.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This "Relational Recovery" archive episode looks at faith as a crucial part of healing from addiction and unwanted behaviours, especially for those coming from a Christian background. Hosts Wes Thompson and Austin Hill chat candidly about what faith actually means in everyday recovery.
Wes offers a simple definition at the start: faith as "reliance upon and trust in God," then connects it to very practical questions: do you think you can get better, grow, or heal? That belief, they argue, is already an act of faith. The conversation is honest about how hard trusting God can feel when life is painful.
Austin notes how easy it is to focus only on the “crap” in the world and say there’s no God, yet the very fact that we grieve losses shows there was something beautiful worth loving.
He shares how rare acts of unexpected kindness keep his faith alive, joking about how shocking it would be "if a Republican was beat up in the corner and a Democrat comes and protects them." You’ll hear the hosts talk about shifting what and who you put your faith in: moving away from blind trust in unsafe people, finding genuinely trustworthy relationships, and accepting that trust grows slowly, like practice in a sport.
They stress that "faith is hard because faith is in direct opposition to fear," and that fear, hiding and shame are normal human reactions. For men in recovery programmes like the Refuge, Austin offers a simple, concrete starting point: practise gratitude for the small good things that happen each day and for what others do for you. This episode speaks to anyone wrestling with faith, fear, and trust while trying to change long-standing behaviours.
If faith feels fragile right now, could paying attention to small daily goodness be the first step toward rebuilding it?
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