“Gray hair is a mark of distinction, the award for a God-loyal life.” (Proverbs 16:31 The Message Bible)
I looked in the mirror Monday morning and contemplated seeking out a professional hair stylist to color my gray beard to a natural black. After staring at my image for a minute, I decided against it because I realized the gray hair was not a sign of being old, but rather a sign of being blessed. February 5 is my birthday, and I will be entering what I call the fourth quarter of life. That’s a blessing! Arriving at that conclusion, my mind escaped all the hair-coloring confusion. I let go of ego, departed from vanity and accepted the reality. The reality is found in the scripture above. My gray hair is the award of a God-loyal life.
Okay! Okay! Okay, I’ll be transparent! Like King David, it is apparent that I have not lived a perfect, flawless life, but I have never lost faith in God and not a day has gone by where I recognized how I have benefitted from His mercy and grace. Don’t call me old. Call me “Blessed.”
Now, your hair may be gray, perhaps you are at the age where your natural hair color looks like it is here to stay. Maybe you continuously experiment with various colors, and you leave the barber shop or hair salon, beaming with confidence after your stylist’s work on your hair is comparable to an artist’s finished masterpiece on a perfectly sized canvas. You may not be in your fourth quarter as this point in time, but you are still in the land of the living. So, you can still look at each day you see, regardless if you are 6, 26, 46, 76, or 96, and say, “Call me blessed.”
That’s how I want you to leave the house today, regardless of your hairdo, hair color, or hairstyle! Leave for your destination, determined to give God the glory that He is due. Leave, deciding to live a God-loyal life and declare, “I’m blessed.”
Have a great day! But as your days roll on and you reach whatever you consider “old,” strive to live right, both day and night. Be blessed with longevity and let your vitality, as part of the local and universal church, be viewed with awe! Let your days be seen as an ongoing testimony! A testimony that the Lord has let your days roll on for a purpose. Live out your purpose each day! Live in a way that you will give Him the glory! Live being a witness for the Lord! Live showing the world that for as long as you live, you will not only praise Him, but you will serve Him!! Be blessed!
“Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green.” (Psalm 92:14 NLT)
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King