When Gray Hair is Glorious

“The silver-haired head is a crown of glory, if it is found in the way of righteousness.” (Prov. 16:31)

                Gray hair gets a bad rap in our culture, doesn’t it?  Don’t believe me?  Just take a stroll down to your local store and look at the amount of hair-coloring products on the shelves.  American consumers spend millions of dollars annually on hair care products, and there’s no doubt a hefty percentage of that money was spent on hair dye.  Men and women color their hair for a variety of reasons, but most would probably say they choose to do so because they don’t want to look older than they really are.

                Some people choose to embrace their gray hair, and today’s verse provides us a good reason why – “The silver-haired head is a crown of glory.”  It’s a wonderful thing for a person to live long enough to have gray hair.  Even if a person begins to go gray early in life, they’ve still outlived many people who didn’t make it to their 21st birthday.  Rather than bemoaning the symptoms that come with advanced age, we should thank God that He has allowed us to experience another day.

                This truth is conditional – “if it is found in the way of righteousness.”  Sometimes we tend to think that a person is wise just because they’re old.  That’s like assuming someone is uninformed just because they’re young.  Being old and having gray hair is glorious only if we are dedicating our lives to God.  A senior saint can look back on life and see where God used him/her for His glory.  When your hair turns gray (or turns loose), will you be found in the way of righteousness or foolishness?