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My world changed in a single moment. I was hopeful but not hopeless.

I survived a major stroke that left me unable to walk or swallow. My voice turned into just a squeak, like a cartoon mouse. It took a week to stabilize my condition. Doctors placed a feeding tube into my stomach, disconnected IVs, and moved me to a rehabilitation hospital. A manually operated suction device became my every-minute lifesaver to remove saliva from my mouth so I wouldn’t drown in my spit. On the outside, I might have looked pathetic. But on the inside, a miracle was taking place. People came to see me during the next three weeks in the hospital—some to help, some to stare, and some to ask, “Why are you smiling?”

I gave them the answer Jesus gave me: God is with me, He is working, and He has a plan.

God told Israel to stop looking backward at what was and to look forward. Blessings were on their way. Today, God gives His people the same message. Stop looking backward at what was and look forward. Great and wondrous blessings are on our way.

We change. Circumstances change. Things and people may upend our lives. What was easy and even taken for granted may now be difficult or seemingly impossible. But God is with us. He is working and has a plan. He makes a way in the wilderness for us and brings rivers to our deserts. We’re not forgotten, washed up, cast out, or discarded. We walk with the King of kings into the miraculous.

My journey has been challenging, but I was not alone then or now. The way through it was already decided and in progress. I would walk with Jesus, and He would take me through. The joy that filled my heart filled my face with a smile.

Think of something you can give to Jesus so you can smile. Be hopeful not hopeless.