Letting Go (Episode 1 - Archive)Letting Go (Episode 1 - Archive)
Relational Recovery
Wes Thompson and Austin Hill talk about letting go of control, trusting God and how self-denial in Christian faith connects with recovery from unwanted behaviours. The conversation links biblical themes, trauma and modern pressures to show surrender as a possible path toward peace and the "good life."
8:37•13 Jul 2026
Letting Go of Control: Trust, Faith and the Good Life
Episode Overview
- Letting go is framed as a positive path toward true life and peace, not as weakness or self-rejection.
- Self-denial in Christian faith is explained as releasing the need for control and trusting God’s goodness.
- The Exodus story is used to show how deep dependence on God can shape a community’s journey.
- Overemphasising personal importance and self-sufficiency is linked to anxiety, depression and fear.
- Pain and trauma are described as tools that can push people into isolating self-reliance, which feels like an earthly hell.
“It's only in this relinquishing of control to God that we actually find what it is that we're looking for, which is true life and which is peace.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This archived first episode of *Relational Recovery* drops straight into one of the hardest challenges: letting go of control. Hosted by Wes Thompson with co-host Austin Hill, the conversation centres on Christian spirituality and how trusting God connects with recovery from unwanted behaviours.
Wes reads a passage from Matthew 16 about denying yourself and taking up your cross, then gently unpacks what that means for people who feel stuck or overwhelmed. He stresses that self-denial isn’t about being "terrible and unlovable", but about releasing the need to control everything and learning to trust God instead.
As Wes puts it, "it's only in this relinquishing of control to God that we actually find what it is that we're looking for, which is true life and which is peace." If you’ve ever felt crushed by anxiety, depression or the pressure to sort everything out yourself, that line hits home. The episode weaves in the Exodus story, highlighting how Israel had to depend completely on God for survival in the desert.
That picture of daily reliance is set against modern ideas that each person defines their own truth and goodness, which Wes links to the "radical sense of our own importance" that leaves many people exhausted and afraid. There’s also a raw look at pain and trauma. Wes suggests that evil often uses pain to make people too distrustful to rely on anyone but themselves, describing this as "a kind of earthly hell".
For those in recovery, this frames letting go not as weakness, but as a doorway to the "good life" built on trust, acceptance and a different kind of strength. If you’re wrestling with control, faith, or the weight of expectations, this conversation might prompt you to ask: what would it look like to let go, just a little, today?
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