EAGLE RECYCLED YEARS

During a casual phone conversation, a friend asked why I named my home in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia “Eagle Summit.” Throughout my house I do have framed pictures of eagles in various poses of flight and waiting for the air currents and hunting. Also meaningful before-and-after pictures of re-cycled senior age eagles.
 * See encore text at the end of the blog post.

I chose the eagle motif partly because of the scenic outlook over the woodsy landscape from the rear deck of my home over the valley. We built at the highest point in our subdivision. My “tree house,” as the grandchildren call it, looks over the tree tops and stream below and I watch the birds in flight on their level and revel in the daily dramatic dawn and sunset panoramas. Every changing season is spectacular from the softly falling snowflakes to the seemingly burst of green almost overnight in spring, the full bloom of sultry summer, and the glorious splendor of autumn.

However, the life cycle of the eagle has been my main point of reference in analogy to my lifetime and my calling from God even into my current longevity. I've devoted chapters in my published books to comparing eagle life with our human life, especially the Christian aspects in the latter stages of the eagle's life cycle. Psalm 103:5 is the sparkling gem to launch my thoughts, “...my youth is renewed like the eagle....” It refers to the aging eagle's season of dramatic renewal enabling it to experience a second wind, so to speak, a surge of vitality to continue its energetic and productive life once again long after its prime.

Since I'm in the latter eagle time of longevity myself, (I prefer not to call it overtime or bonus time, as if it were a reluctant afterthought of God) I look upon it as a generous God-planned extension. For what purpose should I invest those extra months or years? Not for my own benefit and sheer, luxurious enjoyment, but to continue to carry forward God's agenda for my life—perhaps in a God-adjusted direction.

Whereas the bulk of one's life in prime years is spent in achieving our life goals as we try to see them from God's perspective, I believe the eagle-extension season should be invested in other people, in passing the baton to the emerging generation, in pointing the good way to those who follow us. To draw them upward to reach higher and further, to dream larger, to attempt greater than I have attained. My focus is on the precious people in my family generations, the young “caterpillars” who will one day become “butterflies,” and on people likewise called of God who might follow me to put on their own mantle in the field of creative “writing for the Supreme Editor,” God.

In this new year I've already begun pursuing both of those directions. Not by pushing young eagles to fly but to draw them on, to beckon them to a higher reach, to attract them upward in their faith lives. I accept my mandate of encouragement and affirmation in both of these directions. The young eagles in their comfortable birth-nest on some high precipice might look down in fear not realizing that they were born with flying appendages which were meant to develop into strong wings that would bear them up when they were ready for the risk. Just so do those who follow after us need our infusion of God-courage and assistance to risk flying on their own.

I perceive that I should invest my extended eagle-recycled years in those who follow me. Not to clone anything that I have achieved, but motivate them to follow their unique path which may be the less traveled one, which God has prepared for them and equipped them with special gifts. To encourage them not fear failure but to spread their wings, with a little nudge of encouragement from me. To leave the comfort of mediocre living and sub-standard achievement and watered down goals for the high road of God's agenda for their lives, whatever it may be.

 The YouTube that follows might serve as an inspiration for my readers to listen to God for His agenda for them when they find themselves generously blessed with eagle-recycled years. Such an investment nets eternal returns!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ob3Vpi1u_0

* How the Aging Eagle Renews Itself  (encored by request)

 In spite of all its diligent daily maintenance, the time comes in the life span of this majestic bird when all of its wonderful functions begin to diminish and wear out. It faces an aging, deteriorating crisis, unable to navigate in the air as it has been accustomed to do. Its eyes are becoming dim and no longer moist, its talons are not as sharp, and calcium deposits on its beak prevent it from being able to hunt as before. The eagle is losing strength and its feathers are becoming sparse. (Sound familiar?) It is one tired bird!

It could give up and settle down to rest on a canyon floor, just dragging around in its weakness. But it will die in the valley if it stays there. The valley is not where God means for eagles to die, moreover, its time to die may not have come yet. When another strong eagle sees the bedraggled, defeated eagle in the canyon, it screams at it and dive bombs at it to stir the eagle up to follow its God ordained instincts. It must leave the low places where it is unprotected in its weakness from its enemies and go to the mountain like God ordained through the instincts He put within it. 
The time has come when it must "mount up with wings as an eagle" to the highest place it can find, away from everything distracting and remain alone.

The aging eagle finds a high flat rock in the direct sunshine. For two weeks it works hard to rub and scrape its talons against the rock to sharpen them again. It knocks its beak repeatedly against the rock or a branch to break off the calcium deposits, until the old beak crumbles away revealing a renewed one. If necessary, it flies headlong into a rock to accomplish that.

The eagle occasionally returns to the fresh stream in the valley to drink from the cool water and to bathe frequently to get rid of all lice, parasites, and mud. All the while it is plucking out its worn feathers until it is nearly naked. This is undoubtedly painful, but its remarkable instinct tells it that this pruning is necessary for renewal. The eagle spends most of its time resting quietly and warming itself in the sun and heavenly breezes. It renews itself for 40 days until it grows new feathers, and all of its functions are revived as good as new. Its eyes become clear as a young eagle's again, its talons and beak are restored to sharpness, and its normal strength has returned. God let the bird know that it wasn't finished with the life God planned for it yet.

When the eagle senses that the restoration is complete, it takes off again soaring into the heights, crying loudly with its renewed voice and with the rejuvenated capabilities and strength of a young eagle. Once renewed, it is said that if you put it side by side with a young eagle only a year and a half old, you can't tell the difference. Psalm 103:5 has been demonstrated!