Trusting God When You Can't Fix the Ones You Love — Moriah HagelTrusting God When You Can't Fix the Ones You Love — Moriah Hagel
Sober on Purpose
Host Tanya Gioia talks with author Moriah Hagel about trusting God when you can’t fix the people you love and finding identity in Christ rather than in rescuing others. Their conversation focuses on daily dependence on God, honest struggle, and Christ-centred boundaries for women facing addiction and family chaos.
56:28•24 Jul 2026
Trusting God When You Can’t Fix the Ones You Love
Episode Overview
- Rooting identity in Christ, not in fixing others, helps you stay steady when loved ones struggle with addiction or destructive choices.
- Daily time with God acts like ‘manna’ for the day, giving just enough strength for today’s trials rather than all future worries.
- Trying to control or rescue others often reveals a misplaced identity; God repeatedly redirects the focus back to your own heart and growth.
- Anger and urgency rarely produce God’s righteousness; humility, apology, and surrender create space for God’s work.
- Remembering past faithfulness—your own ‘Ebenezers’—builds trust that God will carry you through current and future pain.
“God doesn't ask us to deal with tomorrow's problems. He doesn't ask us to deal with next week's pain. He asks us to trust him and deal with today.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This conversation on *Sober on Purpose* leans right into that question through a deeply faith-centred lens. Host Tanya Gioia talks with author and conference co-founder Moriah Hagel about what it means to trust God when you can't fix the ones you love. Aimed at Christian women living with addiction in the family, the chat blends honest struggle with gentle humour and very practical faith.
Moriah shares how her identity in Christ grew through college pressure to marry, a Bible study that fell apart, family turmoil, and watching friends and loved ones choose painful paths she couldn't control. She explains how easy it is to slip into a "secret identity" based on doing things for God rather than knowing Him, especially when you're the one who organises studies, conferences, or keeps the family together.
Instead of offering quick fixes, Moriah keeps coming back to daily dependence on God: "He gives us enough manna for today. He didn't provide manna for next week... He will provide manna for next week, but he's not giving it to us today." That daily trust becomes crucial when you're desperate to rescue someone from addiction or destructive choices.
You’ll hear candid talk about anger, overstepping, and trying to play God, and how apologising, setting boundaries, and returning to prayer can shift the focus from fixing others to letting God work in you first. Moriah’s line, "You worry about you, and let Me feed you," captures the heart of her message.
If you’re worn out from carrying someone else’s chaos and craving a steadier way to live sober, anchored, and hopeful, this episode offers faith, honesty, and just enough humour to remind you you’re not alone. How might your day change if you trusted God just for today, rather than for the whole year ahead?
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