Patience (Episode 4 - Archive)Patience (Episode 4 - Archive)
Relational Recovery
West Thompson and Austin Hill talk about patience as a muscle that grows through pressure, linking everyday frustrations with growth in recovery. They connect this idea to Christian scripture, stressing that waiting can be active and purposeful rather than passive.
6:08•22 Sept 2026
Patience, Pressure and Faith: Growing Your “Patience Muscle” in Recovery
Episode Overview
- Patience is described as a muscle that only strengthens when it is actively used and put under pressure.
- Avoiding difficult or stressful situations can block growth in patience and character.
- Moments of intense frustration can be reframed as signals and opportunities to practise patience.
- James 5 and the farmer image highlight that growth takes time, steady effort and repeated waiting.
- Waiting does not have to be passive; you can stay active and engaged while you patiently work towards change.
“The way to become more patient is to put yourself in situations where you need more patience.”
What are the common struggles and victories in addiction recovery? This conversation from Relational Recovery takes the everyday challenge of patience and links it straight to growth, change, and faith. Host West Thompson and co-host Austin Hill chat about patience as a kind of muscle that only grows under pressure.
Austin jokes that noisy kids no longer faze him because that “patience muscle” has been worked so much, but he admits that if he stayed away from kids for a while, that tolerance would probably shrink again. It’s a simple, funny picture that makes a bigger point: if you want to grow in patience with your kids, spouse, friends, or yourself, you’ll have to face situations that stretch you.
They lean into the idea that “the obstacle is the way”, applying it to emotional growth and recovery. As Austin puts it, it’s no use saying, “I really want to be more patient,” and then avoiding every stressful situation. Instead, those moments when you’re on the verge of losing your cool are seen as signals: this is where growth can happen, if you stick with it. West then grounds the conversation in Christian scripture, reading James 5:7–11.
The farmer waiting for crops becomes a picture of steady, committed patience: “you don’t plant seeds and then poof there’s corn.” It takes time, care, and lots of waiting. They also mention Job as an example of steadfast suffering, while honestly admitting that comparing their own lives to his feels extreme. A key idea that surfaces is that waiting doesn’t mean being passive.
You can be patient and still active, tending the “soil” of your life while you wait for change. If patience is this central to healing and recovery, what pressure points in your life might be quietly inviting you to grow right now?
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