5 Days From Growing Grateful by Mary KassianShembull

So Good to Be Grateful

Research reveals that being grateful comes with a crop of side benefits. People who are grateful are more hopeful, energetic, and positive while being less envious, anxious, and depressed. Grateful people also tend to have more willpower and be more empathetic, compassionate, and helpful— and to have greater integrity and faith. Overall they feel significantly more optimistic and satisfied with life than those who fail to express gratitude.

In her book “The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want,” professor Sonja Lyubomirsky concludes that gratitude is a kind of meta-strategy for achieving happiness. It’s the virtue that opens the door to all sorts of other good habits and feelings. 

The fact that gratitude is the root of many other virtues would not come as a surprise to the psalmist in today’s scripture. His expressions of thanks and praise were bountiful, so he undoubtedly experienced many of gratitude’s benefits. He noted, “It is good”—that is, right and enjoyable—to give thanks. As we grow more grateful we’ll see other beautiful things sprout up in our lives. As gratitude grows, our peace, contentment, and happiness will bloom too. Like the psalmist, we’ll experience how very good it is to give thanks.

MEDITATION

Have you ever considered that gratitude is the parent of peace, contentment, and happiness? What do your levels of peace, contentment, and happiness indicate about your need to grow more grateful?

GROW GRATEFUL

Increase your happiness quotient by offering up some prayers of gratitude.