I am running down a beach, not jogging peacefully but sprinting with my feet pounding on the hard sand. I’m trying to run off my frustrations, my inadequacies, my worries. But they don’t fall away. They stay with me like a cloud of mosquitos.

Exhausted from flat-out running, I collapse to the gritty sand. I feel pent-up anxiety and a deep unsettledness.

As I kneel on the beach, my head in my hands on the sand, I remember words from my poem “I Will Follow in the Dark” from The Gift of Tears:

But this I know, that You are good
and strong and wise and true,
so I will follow in the dark,
and I will trust in You.
You are the God who sees my life,
my past and what’s to come;
You are the one who holds me fast
and guides what I’ll become.
I’ll trust in You no matter what
Your path will hold for me.
I’ll live my life for You alone.
I’ll trust You and be free.

Jesus helps me up and gently brushes me off. Holding my hand, He invites me to walk with Him.

He leads me straight into the stormy sea.

A door opens under the water, and we enter a dry, cozy room. I hear the waves crashing around us, but we are safe.

It’s like a workshop, with pens laid out for me.

I choose an intricately carved azure pen, and Jesus leads me to a comfy cream-colored couch by a roaring fireplace. As we sit down, I sink my feet into the soft rug, and I note the colorful, handcrafted throw blankets and cushions on the couch and chairs.

Jesus says, “This is your workshop. Come here daily to write and to listen to Me.”

“Why are You calling me to write?” I ask.

“Write for Me,” He says. “Be free from the desire to please people and be known for your writing. Write with Me and let Me take care of the details. Your job is to sit in this cozy place I prepared for us and to write what I give you.”

So, in the midst of the crashing waves of concerns and uncertainties, I join Jesus regularly in this peaceful place. I listen to Him and write.