Excerpt from 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 

"God is able to give you more than you need, so that you will always have all you need for yourselves and more than enough for every good cause."

Reflection by William C. Green

On Thanksgiving Day we acknowledge our dependence. At least that was the spirit of the impoverished Pilgrims who made seven times more graves than huts while setting aside a special day of gratitude for divine strength and support. They could not otherwise account for their endurance and survival. They knew they could not rely on their own guts and willpower alone. They were dependent—and proud of it.

In a recent college women's studies course, my stepdaughter was asked to write a paper about a woman they respected and why. After reading each other’s papers the class was asked to identify common characteristics found in the women they chose. The one trait that stood out was the ability of these women to ask for help.

This was not about women being needy and dependent. Quite the opposite. It was about the strength to get help—something not as common among men, at least as those college women saw it, and a mark of distinction.

On Thanksgiving Day we give thanks again for the divine power on which we depend. God gives us all we need and then some. We depend on this as much as those first Pilgrims—and as much as those respected women who were true to their own need for help.

Prayer

Gracious God, make us proud to ask for help and grateful that you give it. Amen.

About the Author William C. Green is Vice-President for Strategy and Development, Moral Courage Project, NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, and the author of 52 Ways to Ignite Your Congregation: Generous Giving.

This Year Will Be Different—2011 Advent Devotionals from the Stillspeaking Writers' Group.  Order now!  

Sign up to receive Daily Devotionals

More items written by the Stillspeaking Writers' Group