Go Inside And Ask

“Quietism, a doctrine of Christian spirituality that, in general, holds that perfection consists in passivity (quiet) of the soul, in the suppression of human effort so that divine action may have full play”. (Google) This was a belief in the 1600’s which was later deemed a heresy. I heard of a man who went up and down the main street of his hometown looking for work. When someone asked why he was having such a difficult time finding a job, he replied that no one had a sign in their window. His friend replied, “You have to go inside and ask if they are hiring.” In the next few days, he went inside asked about a job and was hired. Yes, God is at work and does wonderful things for us, but we still must go inside and ask. I believe there is mutuality at work. It is not the belief that God helps those who help themselves, but we follow the leading of God’s Spirit through prayer and then we must “go inside and ask.” That man was my dad and he worked for that furniture store more than forty years.