It is the day after Thanksgiving. I woke this morning with thankfulness still coursing through my veins. It is not easily quenched. Thankfulness seems to be perpetuating from an endless supply for those who are filled with the love of God. It is an artesian that overflows. The Bible says, "Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue in him; rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught and overflowing with thankfulness" (Colossians 2:6-7).
It is not truly "self-perpetuating" since it comes from something else, something deeper than our will. Thankfulness comes from a bent that whatever we have for which to give thanks, has been given to us by someone else. It is something that actually takes us out of the self. It is an acknowledgement that "every good and perfect gift comes from above . . ." (James 1:17).
Try to be thankful as an isolated act and it soon comes to feel shaloow and forced. However, grow in faith and see where that takes you. The more your faith grows, the more you can see how much God has to do with everything. The result is gratitude for things previously unknown. The result is gratitude for things previously invisible to the naked eye. God has done much for us for which we will never be able to amply and finally say, "Thank-you."