The Balance of Trust: is it all in my head?

Note: I originally wrote this post back in November but for some reason didn't ever post it. I just read it again and decided to post it.

I've always had the idea that there exists a balance between trusting God and doing things ourselves. I've thought that if I try to do everything myself then I must not be trusting God. However, if I sit back and trust God to take care of all my needs and troubles, I become apathetic and lazy.

Let me present a current example in my life.

Right now I am unemployed and looking for a job. The balance of trust in this case, if it exists, means balancing my efforts to find a job and my trusting in the Lord . I know that I need to trust God to place me in the job that he wants me to be in and I do trust him to do that. However, with this attitude, I am in danger of sitting on my couch waiting for someone to knock on my door and say, "Hey, I have no idea who you are but God told me to give you this job." It's not gonna happen.

On the other hand, if I fail to trust in God and rely on myself to find a job, I am in danger of getting angry and frustrated at the futility of my own inabilities. I feel that the more effort I put into finding a job the more I am relying on myself and the less I am relying on God. I've also never been a fan of the saying "God helps those who help themselves" because it puts a human controlled condition on what God does.

Thus, I must find a balance between finding a job on my own power and being patient (waiting) for God to provide for me. Perhaps this balance means throwing myself and all my efforts into finding a job, not waiting for God to provide for me, but trust that my efforts will not be in vain. Perhaps it means not getting discouraged when my efforts seem to be in vain but trusting that God has a reason for denying me the results I seek.