Number 15,431
A few nights ago as I was sitting in my rather comfy desk-chair, my loving wife came over to me, gazed intently at me, and then unceremoniously yanked hair number 15,431 out of my head! Noticing my surprise, my beautiful wife batted her eyes at me and pronounced, “It was gray.”
You see I have brown hair, sort of, and those of us with brown hair have about 110,000 hairs on our heads. Actually my hair is a now mixture of brown and gray, and to be honest my hair count is now probably well below 100,000. Therefore I can’t afford to lose any more!
Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained by living a godly life. – Proverbs 16:31
Just when I’m starting to look Godly… Yank.
Seriously though, have you noticed that we just don’t value the aged in our society anymore? We consider them an inconvenience, a financial burden. The bible speaks quite differently about the aged.
The glory of the young is their strength; the gray hair of experience is the splendor of the old. – Proverbs 20:29
While young people may have brute force behind them, it is those with years of hard gained wisdom that can best direct them in using it. But, sadly we seldom ask for their advice and wisdom these days. Instead we relegate them to warehouses called nursing facilities and visit on holidays and birthdays. But that is a topic for a different time.
John Eldredge, in his book Way of the Wild Heart wrote about the Sage, a person who has wisdom due to years of Godly living. Job likewise speaks of the same people.
Wisdom belongs to the aged, and understanding to those who have lived many years. – Job 12:12
A Sage is someone who has gone through the stages of life identified as; child, cowboy, warrior, lover, and king. He has moved through them all, gaining experience and wisdom along the way. The end-game is that the gray-haired king steps aside for the incoming king and now exhibits his God-given glory in the role of adviser. At least that is how it is supposed to be. Of course if his wife has plucked all of his gray hair out, how will anyone know he is wise?
Lord, thank you for wisdom from the aged. May I show those in my life the respect that they truly deserve. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
I’m looking more like Friar Tuck every day… Jan
My Journey in God's Word 