Imagine a parent making a deal with a child: If you do your homework or clean your room, I'll give you a certain reward. The child does what they were asked to do and receives the reward. In a sense, they earned it. They fulfilled their part, and the parent fulfilled theirs.
But there is something the child can easily overlook: Who gave them the ability to fulfill their side of the deal in the first place?
The parent provided the home, the education, the food, and so much of what enabled the child to accomplish what they did. Even what the child "earned" was made possible by everything they had already received from the parent.
In our relationship with G-d, there are two ways to approach it.
One approach is to recognize the system G-d created. We do our part: we live Jewishly, fulfill Mitzvot, give charity, and strive to live according to His will. We trust that G-d will respond with the blessings He promises.
But there is a deeper way to approach G-d. Instead of saying, "G-d, I did my part, now You do Yours," we recognize that even our ability to do our part is itself a gift from Him.
Our health, talents, opportunities, resources, relationships are all blessings from above. So even when a blessing comes as a result of our efforts, those very efforts were only possible because of blessings we received first.
That realization helps us see G-d's kindness woven into every part of our lives.
As we enter the month of Elul leading up to the High Holidays, we naturally have many prayers and hopes for the coming year. The best way to approach those prayers is not to say, "G-d, I did mine, now please do Yours." It is to say, "G-d, I will do everything I can. But ultimately, I know that everything I have and everything I am capable of doing comes from You. In Your infinite kindness, please bless me and my family with a beautiful and blessed year."
But perhaps the best way to achieve those blessings is to start by doing the same for others. If we hope that G-d will look beyond what we have earned and bless us with kindness and generosity, we should strive to do the same for those around us, giving more than is expected and treating others with greater generosity than they may deserve.