The Wonderful Years from 66 to 100!
TODAY’S FOOD FOR THOUGHT
FROM
Discovering a BETTER LIFE MINISTRIES
(Stories of Real People, Real Events, Real Places)
Are dedicated to HELPING
PEOPLE FIND PEACE and HOPE
(John 10:10)
(JUNE 25th, 2020)
The Wonderful Years from 66 to 100!
Friend, the eagle-wing image of ageing 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” (ISAIAH 40:31) 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 eighty second year 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” (ISAIAH 40:31).
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 eighties?” 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 ageing as a sad thing that everybody must go through. At seventy years of age the poet, Phyllis McGinley, wrote the following words:
“Seventy is bitterness
Seventy is gall!
But it is better to be seventy,
Than not be alive at all!”
I have other friends, thank God, and they are many, who share my sense of renewal. They face the world with verve 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, as you are reading what I have written today, you’re asking yourself “How can I change from grim resignation to hope and expectation in my older years?” If so, I think I can help you. It’s not your age that’s important. It’s your mental attitude. So never stop dreaming! Never stop believing! Never stop expecting!
Friend, age is neither a disease or a disaster! As one fine 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 ageing. 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.
Friend, if you would like a free booklet to reinforce the truth of how ageing can be a thrilling adventure of renewal, I encourage you to write to Discovering A BETTER LIFE and request our complimentary booklet titled: “The Wonderful Years from 66 to 100.”
Our address is: Discovering A BETTER LIFE, P.O. Box 1540, Albany Western Australia 6331. Telephone us on: (08) 98 418 418.
Or Email us at: abl-alb@omninet.net.au
“Age is an issue of mind over matter.
If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
(Mark Twain)
Friend, thank you for taking the time to read our message today! We look forward to sharing another message with you tomorrow.
Until then, may God bless you with His Peace, Love, and Wisdom!
Ron Bainbridge
Coordinator of:
Media Outreach of Kendenup church of Christ
https://www.facebook.com/ronb38 We invite you to visit our Web Sites
and Social Media pages:
Discovering a BETTER LIFE MINISTRIES
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"Our Father"To hear and View this~Video~ Please click on the Link below:
https://www.andiesisle.com/our_father.html “The Glory of God is all around us!”
As I conclude today’s message, I am pleased to introduce you to three amazing men, (Jake Hess, James Blackwood, and Glen Payne).
Friend, these three men, through their beautiful relationship with Jesus, developed an eagle-winged image of ageing, which enabled them to experience the thrill of spiritual renewal and are now experiencing the comfort and joy of being in the safe care of Jesus in Paradise.
“Then I Met the Master”
To hear and View this ~Video~ Please click on the Link below:
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