About a week ago I discovered my first real, here-to-stay gray hair. At about an inch and a half long, the silvery strand sparkled in the light, and I squeaked with delight. I have been waiting for this day!
It felt almost holy, that moment of noticing what the world often calls a flaw but what Scripture calls a crown. The Bible says, “Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life” (Proverbs 16:31). A strand of silver is not something to pluck away or hide in embarrassment—it’s a shimmer of honor, the whisper of years lived and stories carried, a reminder that time is a gift.
The world tells us that beauty belongs to the young, but God tells us that beauty deepens with age. Every laugh line is a history of joy. Every crease carries the memory of burdens borne and released. Every gray hair gleams with testimony: of lessons learned, of prayers prayed, of nights endured and mornings met with new mercies.
Aging is not the dimming of the light, but the soft glow of it spreading, warming, illuminating. It is not a loss—it is a gathering. We gather wisdom, we gather perspective, we gather gratitude for the fleetingness of days and the eternity that awaits beyond them.
To age is to live long enough to love more deeply, to forgive more freely, to see life with eyes unclouded by the urgency of youth. It is to carry within us the sacredness of experience, the sweetness of perspective, and the quiet strength of having endured.
So when I see that little silver thread sparkle in the mirror, I do not feel embarrassed. I feel crowned. Crowned with grace, crowned with wisdom, crowned with the reminder that my days are in His hands and that every year is a jewel added to the story He is writing through my life.
Aging is not something to hide. It is something to honor. Something to embrace. Something to rejoice in.
Because every gray hair is not just a strand—it is a song of God’s faithfulness woven into us, shimmering with glory.
Choosing Hope 
as always Hannah , your post is such a blessing . I have several friends who are really struggling with real aging ( as we reach towards 80) . I will send to them with your permission.
also , a book called
The Gift of Years is a huge blessing . It is by Joan Chittister. I will send you a copy if you like
❤️🙏
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I would love to read it, Aunt Nancy! And yes, you can always feel free to share my blog with anyone.
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Ahhh beautiful and wise words. As a woman who grayed very early in life at age 25, boy I struggled with accepting that matter. I fought for a decade to cover and conceal…now at 41 and having allowed the gray to naturally take over in the past 5 years I feel free of the high maintenance and costs of coloring. There’s been such a huge spiritual lesson tucked within all of that too, but maybe I’ll save that for a post one day!
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I thought of Isaiah 46:4 as I read your post- Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.
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I love that so much! Thank you!
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