“You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgivingto God” (2 Corinthians 9:11 NIV).

400 years ago a Native American named Squanto likely participated in the very first American Thanksgiving. Famous for helping the Pilgrims acclimate to the New World, Squanto taught the Plymouth colonists how to cultivate corn, fish, and extract sap from trees.* So if you want a historically accurate Thanksgiving meal, try serving mackerel instead of turkey, or maple candy instead of pie!

A few years before that famous first Thanksgiving, Squanto was enslaved by Englishmen and taken to Europe. After being purchased by Christian monks who taught him English and, presumably, the gospel, Squanto managed to return home to America. Sadly, his entire tribe had lost their lives to European-imported diseases. Can you imagine his grief? And yet, Squanto helped the English immigrants at Plymouth survive. Why? We can only speculate, but I think he was so incredibly generous because, despite his troubles, he was incredibly grateful.

The second G in Thanksgiving stands for GENEROSITY. Generosity flows out of gratitude. When we are thankful to God in all circumstances, we are able to be generous on every occasion. So if we want to show God how thankful we are, we should give generously to others.

Dear God, all good gifts come from above. Help us to share what we have this season with cheerful hearts. We love you and thank you. Amen.

*source: https://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/history-of-thanksgiving

On a personal note… I want to thank the readers and followers of this little blog. I’ve been writing a devotional a week for about five months now and it’s time to take a little rest, but (God-willing) I’ll be back with fresh reflections at the start of the new year. Happy Holidays!!!