THE inexorable alternative of life is that one must either die young — or get old. The pathos of life is that one gets old before one realizes it, or is ready for it. As the Pennsylvania Germans put it, "We grow too soon old / And too late smart." The Old Testament promises long life to the good. But long life is a blessing only for those who can make the later years count.
The key to a joyous and fruitful old age is sincerely accepting it. To make the later years count, to make them blessed for ourselves and for others, one must accept the fact of growing old in the light of God's purpose.
|
