by Jennifer Greene-Sullivan
This afternoon, I painted mushrooms.
That sentence alone would have sounded ridiculous to me six months ago.
For most of my life, I have been known as a teacher, a writer, a wife, a mother, a ministry leader, and occasionally a professional juggler of too many responsibilities. Artist was never a title I would have claimed for myself. In fact, if someone had suggested that I would spend my summer painting mushrooms, butterflies, flowers, boats, and birds, I probably would have laughed.
Yet, here I am.
What started as a simple attempt to learn watercolor has slowly become something more. At first, I followed tutorials because I did not know what I was doing. I copied lines, practiced brushstrokes, and hoped for the best. Somewhere along the way, however, something shifted. Instead of merely painting what someone else created, I began arranging my own compositions and telling my own stories.
This afternoon’s mushrooms were one example.
Before I ever touched my brush to the paper, I studied different varieties and shapes. Then I arranged them across the page, varying their size, height, and color. As I painted, I realized I was no longer simply practicing watercolor techniques. I was creating a world.
That realization led me to create a mockup children’s book page.
Above the mushroom illustration, I typed the words:
“One day, I will be an illustrating author, sharing the joy of storytelling through bright, whimsical illustrations. The paintings are the fruit of a prayer and a dream that my Creator placed inside of me.”
When I finished, I sat quietly staring at the screen.
The statement felt bold.
Perhaps too bold.
After all, I already have books published. I have worked with talented illustrators who brought my stories to life far better than I ever could. What business do I have imagining myself as both the author and the illustrator?
Then I remembered something.
Every book I have ever written began as a dream.
Every story started with a single idea.
Every opportunity God has given me first appeared as something impossible.
Years ago, I dreamed of becoming an author, and before that dream became reality, it existed only as a prayer hidden in my heart. No contracts existed. No books sat on shelves. No readers followed my work. There was only a dream and the God who planted it.
Perhaps this dream is no different.
The older I become, the more convinced I am that God delights in surprising His children. Sometimes He places desires within us long before we possess the skills necessary to fulfill them. Then He walks with us through the process of growth, preparation, and discovery.
Moses carried a shepherd’s staff before he carried God’s people.
David carried a sling before he carried a crown.
The disciples carried fishing nets before they carried the gospel.
Perhaps preparation often arrives disguised as practice.
When I look at the mushrooms now, I see more than watercolor paint on paper. I see evidence of growth. I see countless imperfect paintings that taught me something valuable. I see hours spent learning, experimenting, failing, and trying again. Most importantly, I see the faithfulness of a Creator who continues to place new dreams inside His children regardless of their age.
Will I become an illustrating author one day?
Only God knows.
For now, I will keep painting.
I will keep writing.
I will keep learning, and I will keep trusting the One who planted the dream in the first place.
After all, the dream did not originate with me.
It began with the Creator.
Scripture
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” — Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)
Reflection
Sometimes we dismiss a dream because it seems too late, too difficult, or too unlikely. Yet God has never been limited by our age, our experience, or our qualifications. The same Creator who gives gifts also develops them. Perhaps the dream you carry today is not something you invented but something God planted.
Challenge
What dream have you quietly dismissed because it feels impossible or unrealistic? Spend some time this week praying about it. Ask God whether the desire originated with you—or whether He may have planted it there for a purpose.
Prayer
Father,
Thank You for being the Author of every good gift and every holy calling. Thank You for the dreams You place inside our hearts and the patience You show as You develop them over time. Help me to remain faithful in the small things. Teach me to embrace the process of growth without becoming discouraged by my imperfections. Give me the courage to pursue what You have called me to do and the wisdom to trust Your timing above my own. May every gift, every story, every painting, and every opportunity point back to You, the Creator who imagined them first. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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The Aging English Major 