Faithful Conversations in Hard Moments

In our recent Reflection, Coffee and Conversation, one of our Fitfish ministry leaders (and GP), Claire Hollingsworth, led us in something that felt deeply relevant:

Faithful conversations in hard moments.

Not easy conversations.
Not surface conversations.
The ones that feel awkward, tense, or loaded.

Claire shared six big ideas, and two of them really stayed with me.

The first was this:

God’s questions are an invitation, not an accusation.

Right from Genesis - “Where are you?” - to Jesus in the Gospels asking over 300 questions, we see that God doesn’t shout from a distance.

He draws near.
He asks.
He invites.

Even when Jesus was arrested, under immense pressure, He responded with calm, relational words - not defensiveness.

That made me ask myself:

When I’m about to have a hard conversation…
Am I approaching it with accusation?
Or invitation?

The second thought was just as challenging:

Check in with God before you check someone else.

Psalm 139 ends with:

“Search me, God, and know my heart…”

Before we speak truth to someone else, Claire reminded us to pause and ask:

Lord, what needs adjusting in me first?

Is it pride?
Fear?
Wanting to be right?
Wanting to be heard more than I want to understand?

Sometimes the holiest thing you can do before a hard conversation is a quiet, honest prayer.

In our next blog, I’ll share two more of Claire’s insights that I think are game-changers.

If you were there, what stood out to you? If you weren't, does any of this help?