Proverbs 20:29
The glory of young men is their strength… the beauty of old men is the grey head.
This has to be one of my favorite proverbs of all time. It is a contrast that is so incredibly true; the difference between strength and wisdom. This word glory in the original Hebrew translates as beauty, splendor, or boasting. During our youth so much emphasis is put on these attributes because that is all we have. As a young person all we can see is the seemingly endless road ahead of us, and we can’t run down it long enough and fast enough to discover all that it has in store for us. We think that if we mess up, there is plenty of road left with which we can make it right. However, too much nitrous-oxide in the fuel can sometimes get us moving so fast, that it propels our vehicle way beyond the point of destination. Then time is wasted having to turn around and go back. Sadly enough, many times this is youth in a nutshell…lots of turnarounds and do-over’s!
However, life doesn’t have to continue this way. Hopefully, after such instances we gain something much more valuable along the way as our strength and beauty begins to wane; that being wisdom. I got a recent haircut. Guess what was revealed? Grey! It took me a while to get used to it, but I am beginning to kind of like it. I’m looking forward to this last half of my life. I might not have as much physical resilience as I used to possess, but hopefully I won’t need it as much as I used to either. At this point in the game, I really can’t afford to miss any more exits. Because unlike my youth, I am beginning to see that this road does indeed have an end. So, I am going to have to rely on God’s wisdom and experience to help me save some time and energy so that I can finish my race. Oh…now that’s a unique thought, finishing something! Life is not a sprint, but a marathon. It is not a culmination of what we accomplish in a day that will count, but rather a lifetime. Life is not a race of sheer strength, but one of patience, hope, and wisdom. What ever happened to the esteem and dignity of growing old! There are two halves to life, not one; and I am going to enjoy both of them! I don’t want to miss all the glory of the old years by trying to relive the young ones, and my advice to both young and old is to do the same!
Pastor LaVaughn
