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  • …  
    • HOME
    • LOVE
    • JOY
    • PEACE
    • HOPE
    • HELPING OTHERS
    • RESOURCES
    • ABOUT
    • CONTACT

  • HOME
  • LOVE
  • JOY
  • PEACE
  • HOPE
  • HELPING OTHERS
  • RESOURCES
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • …  
    • HOME
    • LOVE
    • JOY
    • PEACE
    • HOPE
    • HELPING OTHERS
    • RESOURCES
    • ABOUT
    • CONTACT
  • Born To Move

    featuring the painting "Ocean Play"

    Watching spinner dolphins frolic and play in the ocean around Hawaii brings such a big smile to my face! I long to transform myself and become one of them, jumping and spinning and landing with a splash. In fact, I think I used to jump into swimming pools just like that when I was young! Adults around me must have thought “What a funny little kid!”

    I expected the story I would write for this painting would be about experiencing joy because spinner dolphins are such fun, joyful animals to watch, but they also remind me of something else.

    - the rest of the story -

    I’ve had to face the fact now, that the physical losses of illness and aging mean that I will never return to many of the things I used to enjoy. There seems no hope of going back, and it’s a hard truth to accept.

    You see, from the moment I was born, I was made to move. I walked at the age of 7 months, but I didn’t just walk, I ran, and soon I also climbed furniture. As I got older I climbed trees. I spent hours twirling on the chin up bars. I didn’t just ride my bike, I rode it as fast as my little legs could spin the petals - wind in my face and hair flying back. I didn’t just skate, I twirled and balanced on one foot in an arabesque. I rolled down grassy hills, and did cartwheels everywhere I went. I could beat the boys in sprints at elementary school, and I still remember the glorious day that I finally beat my Father in a 100 yard dash. As I got older, I competed in springboard diving, somersaulting and twirling off the board with precise water entries. I played tennis perfecting my strong hard swing with a topspin. I was on the move from morning to dusk. Seriously! I was born to move!

    But, a variety of factors have brought me to be honest with myself. I’m not going to do any of those things again. And facing that truth has made me sad… really sad.

    Have you had a loss in your life that you avoided looking at or acknowledging, but once you did the grief flowed over you like a wave? It feels like you are drowning, doesn’t it?

    One day while laying on the couch, grieving the loss of health and all my old activities, I was suddenly transported in my mind, to the glorious feeling of running. I could almost feel it - a feeling of strength and freedom. I realized then that it wasn’t the specific activities, it was the loss of this feeling of strength and freedom that left me grieving.

    You too may be grieving the loss of something or someone you dearly love. However, all is not lost. You and I have some pretty great promises from God. They are not promises of what we can do now, but they are promises of hope for the future that we can cling to right now.

    At the end of the Bible in Revelation 21, we are assured that God’s plan is to make his home amongst us, and it says in verse 4 that “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

    We all know and understand that our bodies deteriorate and will one day die. We may not like to talk about it, but seriously, look at all the advice on health supplements, exercise, fiber, etc! Everyone is trying to extend their life in any way possible.

    But maybe like me, you’re facing an unexpected timing of this bodily deterioration. Or maybe you’re losing a friend or spouse much earlier than you expected. We’ve all heard the saying “a parent isn’t supposed to have to bury a child”, but maybe you have or are facing exactly that. It’s a nice saying, but that’s not the way it works in real life, is it?

    What a wonderful thing it is to know that God promises He will wipe every tear from our eyes. We can know for certain that in eternity there is perfect strength and freedom from sorrow, pain and death! God has also promised that we will be given a new eternal body. (2 Corinthians 5:1)

    Will I do cartwheels in heaven? I don’t know. But I do know if my new body doesn’t have to experience pain or death, there are a lot of fun things to look forward to. That is what I call a great piece of hope!

    I cling to that hope and now I smile when I remember past activity because it’s a taste of what I look forward to in my eternity. I will again experience that feeling I had as I ran fast and free across a grassy field! And when I see the dolphins frolicking and spinning in the ocean, I am no longer filled with longing, but I am embraced with hope.

    You, too, can be filled with hope. You have hope for freedom from pain and freedom from tears. Hope for complete and perfect love. Hope to be valued and important. Hope for healing and hope for strength and freedom. God promises this and more to all who love him through his son Jesus.

    I encourage you to cling to this hope. How? Tell God you believe his promises. Do it everyday if you have to. Sometimes I have to. Offer him your love and your faith in his son Jesus, and then trust him to do the rest. It’s not going to take away your problems, or change your health, or bring back your loved one, but it will fill you with hope and hope is everything!

    As hope takes hold in your heart, people around you will begin to notice. Be ready to explain to them the hope that you are clinging to. And if you feel like you can’t or don’t have the words, tell them “this lady's story changed my outlook”, and forward this story to them. It will begin a wonderful conversation for the two of you.

    You have hope for freedom from pain and freedom from tears. Hope for complete and perfect love. Hope to be valued and important. Hope for healing and hope for strength and freedom. God promises this and more to all who love him through his son Jesus.

  • Did this story lift your heart? 

    If you’d like to share with me how this artwork and story has impacted you, you can use my contact form here. I’d love to hear from you.

  • The original painting is held in a private collection but prints of "Ocean Play" are available at my artist website.

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© 2025 Melanie Pruitt

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