I am lying curled up on a beach near the water. The sand is wet and cold. With the tide approaching, the water will soon reach me.
As the waves splash over me and recede, I know they will return to douse me and perhaps drown me, but I don’t move. I don’t have the desire or strength to head to higher ground where I will be dry, warm, and safe from the waves.
I just lie here like a crab in the sand.
A great wave crashes over me and lifts me up. I sputter for air, but then I’m carried peacefully into the ocean. Floating on my back, I enjoy the gentle rhythm of the waves. I smile as I relax.
The water carries me to a small, tranquil island with white sandy beaches and palm trees laden with coconuts. I see vibrantly colored birds flitting and resting on great, leafy trees. I lie on the beach for a while, stretched out in the sunshine.
Then I see Jesus.
“Come with Me,” He says, and He shows me a doorway in a hill beside the beach. It’s like a hobbit hole—cozy and shaded from the hot sun.
We enter, and I see a rough wooden table set with a loaf of fresh bread and a hunk of cheese, a knife and two plates, and an intricately painted blue and gold teapot with matching teacups. Lacy white curtains shimmer at the kitchen window.
In a side room I see a bed with a blue and white bedspread and dark blue curtains in the window. I head straight to the bed and crawl into it, pulling the covers over my head. The sheets are clean and cozy. Jesus sits on an easy chair by the window, so I am not alone. I sleep a long time.
Then I rise and we sit at the rustic kitchen table and eat bread and cheese together.
“I feel so stressed, Jesus,” I say, as I take a sip of herbal tea. “So much is going on with my work and family. I’m not resting well because I’m too busy. I honestly don’t know how to relax.”
“That’s why I brought you, here,” He says with a gentle smile.
“Thank you,” I say. I pause and look down at the crumbs on my plate. “Thank you for not leaving me alone on the sand to stay there forever, or to drown.”
“You’re very welcome!” He says. “I love you more than you could ever imagine.”
I look up and see incredible love radiating from His eyes.
Then with a huge grin He asks, “Would you like to come outside with me?”
I follow Him, and He shows me two white wooden beach chairs in the shade of a large palm tree. Azure water ripples in the sunshine, and the sandy beach curves toward the horizon, with palm trees swaying in the breeze.
I settle into a beach chair and Jesus hands me a blank sketching book and colored pencils.
“Would you like to sketch the scene?” He asks.
“You know I can’t draw, Jesus,” I say. “But I will if you want me to.”
As I start to draw, He guides my hand. With His help, my inept attempts at sketching the scene become a beautiful multi-colored masterpiece.
“Close your eyes,” He says. “I’ll show you scenes to write about later.”
I feel anxious. Maybe I won’t do a good job, or maybe it will be too stressful. Then I close my eyes.
“Now sketch what you see,” He says.
I sketch the scene and Jesus helps me again.
“I have a whole story for you to illustrate and write,” says Jesus. “Sketch the pictures on the left side of the open pages.”
As I draw with His help, the colors flow across and form words in the blank right-hand pages of the book. Page by page, the written story emerges from the pictures.
Then the pages are published with a gold binding and each one is illuminated. The pictures look almost 3-D, and the multi-colored writing speaks from the pages. The book is a blessing of light and life to many people.
I return to my work and family, but I come here often with Jesus because this is my resting place, my listening and writing place.
I say to Jesus, “Please help me create more beautiful books for others to enjoy and be drawn closer to you.”
And Jesus replies, “Listen, my child. Listen in the midst of your weakness and sadness. Listen in the quiet of beautiful times with me. Listen, and I will speak.”
So I return often to this peaceful, beautiful space to be refreshed and inspired by Jesus. And I share His pictures and words with others, to bless them as I have been blessed.
GraceSpring Press 
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