Happiness is based on circumstances.  Joy is based on Christ. 

When missionaries in the northern part of Alaska were trying to translate the Bible for the Eskimos, they had some difficulty.  When you go to translate the Bible in any culture, there’s always a difficulty translating some words that are foreign to that culture.  For example, there was no word in the Eskimo language for joy.  They had, like, 200 words for snow and, like, 300 words for ice.  But they had not one word for joy. 

So, the translators looked around and they saw the happiest, most joyful moment in that Eskimo village was in the evening when they fed their sled dogs.  They’d go out with the food, and the dogs would yelp and jump and wag their tails and get all excited.  And so, they pulled the word for joy out of that experience: “wagging their tails.” 

So, when you translate the Bible passage where it says, “After the resurrection, when the disciples saw Jesus alive, they were full of joy,” for the Eskimos, it would read, “When the disciples saw Jesus alive, they wagged their tails!”  Full of joy!  (John 20:20) 

Our tails ought to be wagging every day because we know that Jesus Christ is alive!  He is risen!  He is triumphant!  He is victorious!  And He promised to share His victory with us! 

Would you make this your prayer?