“Am I a mistake?” As a writer and journalist who has interviewed hundreds of people around the world, I have heard that question a lot. Young and old, male and female, from inner city rescue missions and women’s shelters, to suburban churches, youth groups, public schools, universities, rural communities, and Communist countries where I once smuggled food, cash, clothing, and Bibles, my answer was always the same: God doesn’t make mistakes. You are not a mistake.
Finding out “who we are” is a quest many of us have undertaken, especially if we don’t quite fit in with what others expect us to be. In Olivia’s case in the movie, when she was rejected from her debut performance as a budding country singer for not looking the part, she began to see who she was and who she wasn’t. Thus, when she sings about what she discovered about herself during a trip to the tallgrass prairie of Oklahoma, it’s her beginning moment, not her end.
It’s the same for most of us who have experienced something like that. That’s certainly how it was with me when I received a similar “kick in the guts.” For me, the revelation about who I knew I was meant to be – a writer – resulted in more than two decades of scrubbing toilets, cleaning houses, doing odd jobs and grub work in order to pursue that path while making ends meet. We drove a crappy little car very much like Olivia’s, and I’ve felt the very same emotions Olivia felt in the movie: “that I should quit … not even try.”
I’m sure many of you have felt the same way. But I didn’t quit and Olivia didn’t quit, which makes the eventual reward all the sweeter.
For Olivia, admitting that she is made “just like those weeds out there” – i.e., someone who doesn’t fit who others say you need to be – represents the song’s theme of starting a lifelong process of learning who God wants us to become. I for one am traveling that journey, and what an exhilarating and unpredictable experience it is. I Am Not A Mistake is therefore Olivia’s beginning, and her story will be continuing in an upcoming movie sequel.
Disclosure: Olivia and other characters portrayed in this movie are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons is purely coincidental and unintended. Furthermore, Super Intelligence (“SI”) was used to produce this movie using lyrics and a storyline that I wrote and directed. Lyrics and production © 2026 by James Houston Turner. Editing by James Houston Turner. Images generated by OpenAI. Movie built using Krea, Magica, and ChatGPT. Vocals and musical score by SUNO. Editing software by Adobe Premiere Pro. Produced by Ruby Rock Films.
Note: SI/AI is an evolving technology, and when I began using it as a creator in need of cutting-edge technology (and not someone wanting technology to think and create for me), I knew virtually nothing. But I have grown – and am still growing – just as the technology is likewise growing. To me, SI is not something to fear, but embrace, as we collectively decide how to guide its growth. If you enjoyed “I Am Not A Mistake,” please give it a thumbs-up AND be sure to hit the “subscribe” button to join me on this exciting journey.
Watch the short film version of I AM NOT A MISTAKE on Youtube: https://youtu.be/RSF-q20FwVc
To follow James:
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/jameshoustonturner
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/jameshoustonturner
IMDb: http://imdb.me/jameshoustonturner