The Movement of Unspeakable Joy

I have two favorite sayings that I try to apply to my life on a daily basis. The first one is, "Today is a good day to have a good day." The second one is, "If you smile at the world, the world smiles back." My favorite Bible verse is from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 which says, "Be joyful always, pray continuously, and give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." This is my life verse and the one I strive to do each day.

Put these three all together and you've got what I call the "Unspeakable Joy Movement." This is where we take the hard, everyday things thrown our way and push through it with a joy that can only be made possible by knowing Jesus. It's a hope for things to come. It's a simple smile we give to that stranger we passed by in the store. It's the giggles heard from children over the simplest thing. It's the warm cup of coffee on a rainy day.

Joy can be found all around us. It's in the attitude we have despite the hard circumstances we face in life: debt, marriage issues, relationship problems, grief, health problems, etc. If we change our attitude, we can change our point-of-view. God doesn't tell us to be joyful sometimes, but always. Sure, it's not easy to do. There are days I am dead tired and just don't feel like smiling. That is the case for all of us. But I don't want to give the devil that satisfaction of being a grump because of this or that going on. Of course, I will fail along the way. We all do! But my hope is to encourage you today to give it all you've got to live life with unspeakable joy.

The more you do it, the better you feel. It's true! Don't believe me? Start out by smiling at the next person that you see. Then do something nice for someone. How did that make you feel? Great, right? So keep on at it and let's do this together.

(I am smiling right at you to get it started! Smiling is my favorite way to start the day!)

Here's something you can do today. Take a picture of something that brings you unspeakable joy and share it on social media. Use the hashtag #unspeakablejoymovement and let me see those things that make you happy.

Here's what brought me unspeakable joy today. It was a handwritten letter in the mail from one of my dearest friends. Anyone who knows me knows I love handwritten letters.

Do you need some encouragement today or can I pray for you? Email me at unspeakablejoymccoy@gmail.com. Send me your prayers requests and mailing addresses and I will send a note your way. Want to play Mail Tag? What is that, you ask? Go here to learn more: http://unspeakablejoymovement.blogspot.com/2015/07/tag-youre-it.html
 And here: http://unspeakablejoymovement.blogspot.com/2015/04/snail-mail-challenge.html

Don't forget to share your pictures today or any day of things that bring you Unspeakable Joy!

Also, don't forget to check out my fundraiser to help kids with cleft lip afford a great smile. Go here to see how you can help out and to learn more: http://unspeakablejoymovement.blogspot.com/2016/01/cleft-lip-and-palette-fundraiser.html