by Dr. D ick H illis I ask ed my wife if she knew any w'oman who was unaware of the arrival of those first gray hairs. “Are not the beauty parlors, the tints, the rinses, and the dyes eloquent testimony to woman’s awareness of gray hair?” she replied. £ Even men try to cover gray with washes of black and brown. Why should the pot call the pan black? I admit I have more, than one gray hair . . . many more. Five years ago my hair was brown. The gray ones came so quickly I was hardly aware of their arrival. My wife was the first to see them. There were just two of them then, to be sure, but there they were •— the first signal of declining years—the first warning of reduced strength. They were so thinly interspersed that I tried to forget them. Time, however, was with them and not with me. Today the brown and gray fight for first place. Anthropologists take a great interest in man’s hair. They determine the ethnic or racial group by examining one hair. I am no anthropologist but I enjoy its colors of yellow, red, brown, and black 5— you know, the natural colors. Natural hair is attractive. I am fascinated by the straight, the wavy, the curly, the fuzzy, the woolly, and the popcorn. The styles . . . well, they keep the women rushing to the beauty parlor and the men guessing. The Encyclopedia Britannica states that hair is more than a decoration. It is an insulation against cold. And, as confession is good for the soul, I will be honest. I am losing my insulation. To the Chinese, gray hair is a sign not only of age but also of dignity and wisdom. To them it is more com plimentary to say, “How old and wise and venerable you look!” than to say, “How young and pretty and at tractive you are!” An Arab proverb has it, “Thy gray hairs are the publishers of thy death.” That is a harsh statement, but gray hairs do remind me that youth is gone. They are the symptoms of decline and decay. Their presence sug gests that I cannot take tomorrow for granted. They indicate my true condition and warn me there is no time for procrastination. Speaking of Israel, the Lord makes this startling state ment, “Gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not” (Hosea 7:9). Nothing is wrong with having gray hair, but what stupid indifference to ignore it. I am thankful for the gray hairs that I see in my mirror. Because of them I am determined to be more stedfast in purpose, more reso lute in conduct, and more diligent in the Lord’s service. I refuse to be “ stupidly indifferent.” These gray hairs have a message for me. It is simple. It is factual. It is this: Life is short. Death is sure. Time is no luxury. It is my most valuable commodity. I will use it to glorify His Name, to extend His Kingdom, and to evangelize the world. And I will do it today. Those things which you and I have planned to do for God must be done without delay. We dare not join the disciples in the old delay tactics of “ yet four months.” Who is to say that anyone of us has 120 days or even 120 hours? If there is a letter to be written . . an investment to be made in God’s service . . . a prayer life to be strengthened . . . for His sake do it now. If it must be said that “ gray hairs are here and there upon him,” then let it also be noted that they live and act accordingly. THE KING'S BUSINESS
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