The Artist Passing Through

by Jennifer Greene-Sullivans

When we met Melissa at Kolomoki Mounds during the week of New Year’s, I thought the story was about Liam.

A traveling artist from Michigan, Melissa had spent years moving from place to place teaching painting classes wherever she felt the Lord leading her. At the time, she was making her way home from Florida. Her belongings fit into a car, a tent, and a collection of painting supplies. She had accepted a position teaching art to special needs children in Michigan and was beginning the journey back north. What neither of us knew was that God had already arranged an appointment along the way.

During that week, what began as a chance meeting quickly became genuine fellowship. We spent time reading Scripture together, sharing our testimonies, talking about the faithfulness of God, and painting with Liam. There was an ease to our conversations that surprised me.

Although we came from different places and different backgrounds, we shared the same Savior and the same desire to follow Him. As Liam painted, Melissa encouraged his creativity, and as we talked, she encouraged my faith.

At the time, I assumed God had orchestrated the encounter for my son. Liam is a gifted child, and I was grateful that someone else recognized that gift and took the time to nurture it. Watching him learn from Melissa brought me joy, and I believed that was the primary purpose of our meeting. When our week at Kolomoki came to an end, we hugged goodbye and went our separate ways. Melissa continued her journey to Michigan, and we returned home to Georgia.

For a long time, I thought the story ended there.

Months later, however, I find myself sitting in my tiny house office surrounded by watercolor paintings. There are magnolias inspired by a morning beneath a tree at Vacation Bible School. There are landscapes painted from Scripture, roses turned into bookmarks, birds painted as gifts, and scenes from the ocean imagined in color and water. As I look around, I realize I am witnessing seeds flourish that were planted during that week at Kolomoki.

Those seeds did not take root only in Liam. They took root in me as well.

At first, I believed watercolor was simply a hobby or a creative outlet. What I eventually discovered was that the Lord was using it to teach me something much deeper. He was teaching me to slow down, to notice, and to linger in moments I might once have hurried past. Through painting, I began paying attention to details that had always been there but had somehow escaped my notice.

For years, I have experienced the Lord through His Word, through worship, through writing, and through serving others. Those things remain precious to me and always will. Yet through watercolor, the Lord opened another avenue through which I could experience His presence. A magnolia bloom became a sermon. A Psalm became a painting. An empty boat became a blessing for a retiring pastor. What began as a creative exercise slowly became an act of worship.

As I painted, I found myself paying attention to the beauty of God’s creation in new ways. I noticed the colors hidden inside a leaf, the movement of water, the shape of clouds, and the delicate details of flowers. More importantly, I began noticing the Creator behind those details. The world slowed down just enough for me to marvel again. Somewhere along the way, I stopped focusing on producing something and started learning how to wonder.

Looking back, I realize that Melissa never actually taught me how to paint. She never handed me a lesson plan or told me what would happen months later. Yet God used her all the same. Through her example, He gave me permission to try, permission to create, and permission to be a beginner. After years of being the teacher, He reminded me what it felt like to become the student again.

I still believe God sent Melissa to encourage Liam. However, I no longer believe Liam was the only one who needed encouragement. Sometimes God sends people into our lives for only a season, and they never fully know the impact they have made. They simply show up, love well, and continue down the road He has placed before them. Months later, the seeds they planted continue to grow in ways neither of us could have imagined.

Every time I pick up a paintbrush, I think about that week at Kolomoki. I think about a traveling artist who was simply passing through on her way to the next assignment God had given her. Most of all, I think about how the Lord uses ordinary encounters to accomplish extraordinary things.

Sometimes the gifts God sends arrive carrying a paintbrush.

Reflection

When I first met Melissa, I thought the greatest gift from that week was the encouragement she gave Liam. Looking back, I realize God was planting seeds in both of us. Through watercolor, He has taught me to slow down, to notice, and to wonder again.

What began as a hobby became a form of worship.

The Lord has always spoken to me through His Word, but now I find myself seeing His fingerprints in magnolia blooms, sunsets, lakes, clouds, and flowers. Painting has not replaced Scripture, worship, or prayer. Instead, it has deepened my appreciation for the beauty of the Creator behind everything I see.

Scripture Study

“One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.” — Psalm 27:4 (ESV)

David’s greatest desire was not success, answers, or even deliverance from his enemies. His deepest longing was to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord. In our busy lives, we often rush past the evidence of God’s goodness, yet creation continually points us back to its Creator. When we slow down enough to truly see, we discover that beauty has always been speaking of Him.

Challenge

This week, take ten minutes to slow down and observe something God created. Sit beneath a tree. Watch a sunrise. Study a flower. Listen to birdsong. Resist the urge to hurry past the moment.

Ask the Lord to help you see His fingerprints in the ordinary details of your day. You may discover that wonder is not reserved for mountaintop experiences. Sometimes it is waiting in the small things we usually overlook.

Prayer

Father,

Thank You for the people You place in our lives and for the seeds they plant without even realizing it. Thank You for reminding me that You are present not only in the extraordinary moments, but also in the quiet beauty of everyday life. Teach me to slow down. Teach me to notice. Teach me to wonder. Open my eyes to see Your handiwork and Your presence in the world around me. May every flower, every sunset, every act of creativity, and every brushstroke point me back to You. Help me to gaze upon Your beauty and never lose my sense of awe. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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