What is the king or queen of the virtues? Love, joy, integrity all come to mind, but maybe gratitude should be in the list as well–and not just at Thanksgiving.

What is it that makes gratitude near the top of the list? Why should gratitude be a default impulse in your life?

First, gratitude increases your blessings. When we deliberately choose gratitude, it seems that we have more to be grateful about. Is this a self-fulfilling prophecy? Are we programming our mind to make us look for things for which to be grateful?

This view of gratitude may seem to be coerced or manipulative, but don’t we seek to program our children this way? We do our best to help our children have a positive rather than a negative view of life around them. Why wouldn’t we do the same for ourselves?

Second, gratitude seems to give us positive benefits. Michael Brickley, a psychologist, lists four common elements that seems to make seniors successful. The first is gratitude. The other three seem to me to proceed from this first element–a proactive approach to life, a desire to learn and grow, and an optimistic attitude.

Robert Emmons, a scientist, considers gratitude to have benefits equal to that of therapy and counseling. He said: “My colleagues and I are finding that gratitude, which we define as a felt sense of wonder, thankfulness, and appreciation of life , is more than simply a pleasant emotion to experience or a polite sentiment to express. Gratitude promotes a basic disposition, one that seems to make lives happier, healthier, more fulfilling–and even longer.”

Third, gratitude carries us through the tough times. Two times in the New Testament we are told to be joyful in the midst of trouble. Paul knew the value of praising God in all things. In prison, Paul and Silas prayed and sang hymns to God and the prisoners listened. Gratitude blesses us and other people–like those prisoners who listened to the hymns. Who would you rather be around–the grouch or the person of gratitude?

I thank God for thankful people. I hope you will be one of them, beginning today.

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