Tyora Moody

One Gray Hair

And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Matthew 10:30 NIV

I think it was about two months ago. I was washing my hands in the bathroom at work. While looking in the mirror, I noticed something odd at the edge of my hair. Thinking it was piece of lint, I looked closer to pull it. To my surprise, it was my hair … not just my hair … but my first gray hair! Ok, now at this point I should have freaked out and proceeded to pull it, but I didn’t. I stood there for a few moments examining the small strand of gray. Something about it made me feel “mature.” Like I had stepped into some new level of life.

This morning as I brushed my hair, the little strand is now a lot longer. It blends into my black hair so it really is not noticeable, I started to think how did this happen anyway. I mean it just appeared out of nowhere. Lots of folks joke, “My kids made me gray!” Well I don’t know about that theory because I’m not a mom yet so I decided to do a little research.

Why Does Hair Turn Gray?

Each hair on our heads is made up of a shaft – the colored part we see growing out of our heads – and a root at the bottom that keeps the hair anchored under the scalp. The root of every strand of hair is surrounded by a tube of tissue under the skin that is called the hair follicle. Each hair follicle contains a certain number of pigment cells called melanin. The amount of melanin determines the darkness or lightness of the hair color. As we get older, the pigment cells in our hair follicles gradually die and stop producing melanin. Thus giving us our white, silver and grays. Age and genetics have a lot to do with the eventual appearance of gray. [Information adapted from KidsHealth.org.]

Just another part of the aging process. AGE. Saying that word in this country makes people cringe. I have watched countless television shows or specials where a person undergoes a makeover transformation. If gray or silver strands are noticeable, by the time the makeover is completed, those shameful strands have been covered up. The hair coloring industry makes mega bucks on people desiring to cover up any evidence of aging.

Why Be Ashamed of Growing Old?

Why should we be ashamed to grow old? I’m looking forward to the aging process. Will my hair be silver like my maternal grandmother or salt n’pepper like my paternal grandmother? With this transformation upon my head, I’m hoping to have acquired some wisdom from my ton of mistakes.

Gray hair is a crown of splendor, it is attained by a righteous life. Proverbs 16:31 NIV

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD , they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, “The LORD is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him. Psalm 92:12-15 NIV

When you look at the scriptures age is portrayed in a totally different manner. Society encourages people to run and seek the fountain of youth. Those who choose not to be hemmed in by society’s fear of aging will find themselves led to greener pastures by the Great Shepherd Himself.

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