Purpose (Episode 4)

Purpose (Episode 4)

How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This conversation on Relational Recovery digs into how addiction tangles with love, faith and purpose, especially for those coming from a Christian background. Host Wes Thompson and co-host Austin Hill talk honestly about the tension many Christians feel: saying "God loves me" while quietly wondering if that could really be true.

One speaker admits, "I think it's naive to say that like somebody has a faith where they have never wondered if God loves them," and points to church cultures that label doubt as yet another sin on the list. The episode connects everyday relationships with the idea of God's love.

Just as a close friend or spouse knows "a lot of the crap" in someone's life and still chooses to love them, the conversation asks what it means to trust that an all-knowing God sees every mistake and hurt and still loves fully. That kind of trust can feel risky, especially for someone carrying shame from their past.

From there, the focus shifts to addiction as a way many people "settle" and numb themselves from a disordered ability to receive love. Drawing from Gerald May’s book *Addiction and Grace*, they highlight the line, "attention and love are intimate partners," and unpack how addiction hijacks attention, desire and, eventually, the capacity to love and be loved.

Whether it’s heroin, alcohol, sugar, sex or work, the hosts describe how obsessive behaviours can dominate someone’s thoughts and body to the point where "we can't focus on the love of God" or others. If love can’t be given or received, they suggest, purpose is pushed aside by addiction’s grip.

If you’ve ever wondered how faith, shame, love and compulsive behaviour all collide, this episode offers a candid, faith-rooted perspective that might get you thinking about where your attention and desire are really going. Could shifting that attention be a step towards living the purpose you’re meant for?