Friend, the eagle-wing image of aging I wrote about in a previous article is no quick release from individual responsibility. Those who "wait upon the Lord" hoping to "mount up with wings as eagles" (Isaiah 40:31) may wait a long time and face bitter disappointment unless they provide the conditions. Renewal is active rather than passive. The good Lord feeds the birds of the air, but He does not throw the seeds into the nest. He transforms a dry bulb in the mud into a beautiful lily, but He does not do the planting, feeding and cultivating. Renewal, beautiful as it is, is a condition involving responsibility.

Although some people might believe that to "wait upon the Lord" is a vague term, in reality it is a very precise and clear term. A doctor cannot heal a broken bone or replace damaged tissue. He can, however, provide the conditions for the healing and then he must wait upon the Lord. A farmer cannot cause a blade of wheat or a stalk of corn to grow. He can only prepare the soil, plant the seed, keep down the weeds, water the ground if necessary; then he must wait upon the Lord. Renewal from the bruises and bumps of childhood is not the child's own doing. Recovery of the illnesses and accidents of youth is above and beyond our control. Health and energy which sustain us for the middle years are more providence than self-help. We can nurture and encourage life, but life is a gift from God.

My surge in this seventh decade of my life is no personal achievement. I simply felt the challenge of important things to do and responded. I provided some of the conditions such as caring for my health and relating to stimulating friends, but God did all the rest. I waited on the Lord. He renewed my strength and I am able to "mount up with wings as eagles."

When I speak to some of my peers and tell them about my renewal, the universal question is, "How does one find the surge of the seventies?" or "How can I find this Fountain of Age you talk about?" This is a very searching question. My contemporaries divide themselves naturally into those who are renewed and those who are not. I have some charming friends who have resigned themselves to withdraw and progressively disintegrate. They beautifully illustrate the traditional images of aging as a sad thing that everybody must go through. At seventy years of age the poet, Phyllis McGinley, wrote:

"Seventy is bitterness, Seventy is gall, But it is better to be seventy, Than not alive at all"

I have other friends, thank God, and they are many, who share my sense of renewal. They face the world with enthusiasm and hope. They have looked old age full in the face and found it beautiful. Today, I can say with absolute fidelity that I am happier now than I have ever been in my life. In fact, growing numbers of older people feel this way.

Perhaps, you're asking yourself how I can change from grim resignation to hope and expectation in my senior years. Well, it's not your age that's important. It's your mental attitude. So never stop dreaming! Never stop believing! Never stop expecting! Age is neither a disease nor a disaster. As one old gentleman said, "The lines in my face are service stripes earned through life." That's the spirit that keeps him young. And it will keep you young to if you make the effort to develop an eagle-wing image of aging. You see, each of us is a general manager of our own life. Each person is free to dwindle down toward oblivion or to undertake the thrilling adventure of renewal. If you would like for us to send you a free booklet to reinforce this truth, just write to Discovering A BETTER LIFE and ask for: "I'm Getting Old." Our address is: P.O. Box 1540, Albany, W.A. 6331 or Email: abl-alb@omninet.net.au