My head is full of gray hair. I’m not sorry about that. It’s a blessing to have a full head of hair, whatever the color! But I don’t look at my gray as any sort of negative. To the contrary, I wear it as a badge of honor.
First of all, just making it to the point in life where most of my hair is gray is a great blessing. Every day on the news we hear of people who die unexpectedly (in today’s world, often deliberately killed) at a young age. Every day of life that is given to us ought to be treasured as a gift from God.
That reminds me about what the Bible has to say about gray hair:
Proverbs 20:29 (NKJV) The glory of young men is their strength, and the splendor of old men is their gray head.
A head full of gray hairs ought to speak of a life well lived, crowned with wisdom and honor. That’s what I want my gray hair to say about me! My head of gray should mark me as an “elder” in my community, one who can be looked to for wise counsel (backed up by wise practice) regarding the issues of life.
A person who has a head of gray, but who still thinks like, talks like, and acts like someone who has learned very little about how life works, is a tragic individual. Gray hair ought to mean something! But even if a person’s life was not so well lived at the beginning, it’s never too late to begin gaining the wisdom that should be signified by the graying of your head.
Psalms 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.
So, when I look at younger people whose heads as yet show no trace of gray (but only their hairdresser knows for sure!), I don’t envy them that they still retain their original hair color. Instead, I wish for them the kind of life that will make the gray, when it inevitably comes, a true sign of the wisdom and honor they have attained with their years.
Ron Franklin
