Bring on the Gray

Reading Jamie Lee Curtis’s “True Thighs” yesterday got me thinking about my own flaws and Proverbs 31:25—a verse I didn’t always understand, but LOVE now that I do. More than that...it's become my battle plan.

She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.

I love this verse because I love this woman. She laughs. She’s happy and carefree. Bring on the gray hair and belly rolls—noth­ing can steal her confidence. And I want to be just like her. I would love to laugh at the days to come, because laughing would mean I’m not afraid of them, that my heart is full of joy and my self-worth on solid ground.

So what does this woman have that I don’t have? Strength and dignity. It takes strength to push back against the pressures of our culture and to resist the urge to cling to youth. It takes dignity to stand tall in spite of humbling changes in our aging bodies, to reject the notion that we’re more valu­able if we’re beautiful. Strength and dig­nity have the power to keep us grounded in the reality of God’s loving acceptance. With them, we can wage war against the constantly critical inner voice and experience a confidence that doesn’t ebb and flow. Because while vanity is a fierce opponent, strength and dignity are its kryptonite.

It’s time to get back to Sunday school basics: God made us and He loves us. If we believe that, we’ll begin to be content with the unique way we’ve been created. And although the temptation to find our worth in beauty remains, God will provide strength and dignity for the journey.

And we’ll laugh.