"Joy is not the absence of problems, but the presence of God"
The true story is told of the translation of the New Testament from the English into the Eskimo language. Problems arose for the translators when they encountered certain words in English for which there is not corresponding word in the Eskimo languge. For example, there is a passage which tells us that the disciples are filled with joy in seeing jesus. But since there is no word for "joy" in the Eskimo language, the translators had to find another way to express the meaning of the passage. In their research, they discovered that one of the most joyful time for an Eskimo family is when the sled dogs are fed in the evening. The dogs come barking, yelping and running about wagging their tails furiously, and children are squealing with delight. The neighbors too become part of the happy commotion. It is altogether a "joyous" time. Consequently, the translators used that particular event to help them convey the meaning of the Biblical passage. As a result, when the passage was translated back into English, it read: "When the disciples saw Jesus they wagged their tails."
"So we can now rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God--all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us friends of God" (Romans 5:11).
