Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 16:31

by David Chadwick

“Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.”

Proverbs 16:31

Gray hair is a crown of glory and is gained by a righteous life. Some perspectives and insights only come through a righteous life. Often the only way that you can learn how to make wise decisions is by making wrong ones. And the only way you can learn from wrong decisions is to live long enough to learn from them!

I sometimes joke, as I look at the increasing number of gray hairs on my head, that I’ve earned every one of them. They have come through years of joys and sorrows, trials and victories, leading to many learned lessons.

This is one of the reasons why it is so important to go to “gray hairs” when needing counsel and advice. Especially those who hunger and thirst after righteousness and whose desire is to love and obey God wholeheartedly. Those people who have sought to abide in Jesus, know God’s Word, and live by it. These are the ones who usually have insights that younger people do not have.

For those of you who have gray hair, I would also urge you to seek after the passion of the young. Joel 2 describes the last days, when God pours out his Spirit on all people, as being a time when old men will dream dreams and young men will see visions. “The wisdom of the old and the passion of the young” is a powerful combination. It creates insight in motion. Wisdom in action. These qualities bring powerful momentum to carry the Gospel forward.

And one final thought: if you are beginning to see a few gray hairs appear on your scalp, don’t despair! See each one as a new jewel in your crown of glory from God. Who knows? Maybe in heaven, everyone’s hair will be gray! A sign of a life marked by wisdom, closeness, and devotion to God.