Quiet Quit

One Sunday morning, I was reading Psalm 119, and my heart churned within me. Line after line, verse after verse, brought words of truth, conviction, and hope.

“I know, O LORD, that your rules are righteous, and that is faithfulness you have afflicted me. Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your promise to your servant. My soul longs for your salvation; I hope in your word. My eyes long for your promise; I ask, “When will you comfort me?” For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke, yet I have not forgotten your statutes. How long must your servant endure? When will you judge those who persecute me? If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.” Psalm 119:75-76, 81-84, 89

I knew in my heart God was calling me to share with the church body, but it was the last thing I felt like doing. Amidst my struggle, a sermon I had listened to earlier that week came to mind. The preacher had discussed how many people began to “quite quit” their jobs during the COVID pandemic. At the onset of the pandemic, many employees exceeded their assigned tasks and excelled, but soon these same employees realized how hard they had worked and did not feel equally rewarded. So, they scaled back and did the bare minimum. This scenario was given the term “quiet quitting.” The preacher used this example to describe the areas in our lives where we have given much effort and yet feel we have made no progress, leading to defeat and discouragement. We “quiet quit” in these areas.

We all have areas in our lives in which we feel tempted to quiet quit. Maybe it’s trying to salvage a broken marriage. Perhaps it’s a wayward child who continues to rebel despite the parents’ continual effort to show love and acceptance. What about the bad habit that seems impossible to kick? Or anxiety that doesn’t lessen despite all the counseling, self-help, and determination one can find? For me, I felt tempted to quite quit in the calling to proclaim God’s goodness and faithfulness amidst health challenges that won’t relent. Whatever it may be, these areas in our lives slowly ware on us, until it feels beyond hope.

What do we do when our prayers seem to be hitting the ceiling and bouncing back? Sometimes we pray for situations that only go from bad to worse. Didn’t Jesus say that everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened (Matthew 7:8)? He goes on to say that if we (who are evil) know how to give good gifts to our children, how much more will the Father gives good things to those who ask?

But to be honest, sometimes it feels like when I ask for bread, I’m given a stone, or when I ask for a fish, I’m given a serpent. Of course, I know this is a lie from the pit of hell and directly opposes Jesus’ words—perhaps that is precisely why he said this. He knew we would be tempted to think such foolishness.

That Sunday morning, God strengthened my resolve and I was able to share with the church. God knows I probably needed to speak those words more than anyone else needed to hear them. But we are not alone in our temptation to quit, and our decision to persevere affects those around us. After the service I heard from several people who needed that encouragement to stay the course and not give up.

In Luke 18, Jesus shares a parable to the effect that his followers ought always to pray and never give up. A widow sought justice against her adversary from a judge who neither feared God nor respected people. He refused her for some time, but finally, after her constant requests, he gave her what she wanted because he was getting worn down by her persistence. How much more will God, who is both just and compassionate, give to his people who ask? Jesus ends the parable by saying, “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:8).

Will we remain faithful, or will we quiet quit?