I’m going to my 45th high school reunion soon. While the event itself wasn’t my motivation to lose weight, I must say the timing is convenient. But there’s one thing that’s not changing and that’s my hair. A lot of my friends are talking about their hair and whether they should let it go to their natural color or keep dying it. I spent a lot of years, and a lot of money, trying to cover up who I am. I won’t do it anymore. God made me this way. He promised to love me when my hair is white. I’m just going to trust that and keep on being me.

I know that’s not for everyone. If coloring your hair makes you feel better about yourself, you should do that. But if you’re coloring your hair out of fear, I’d invite you to do some inquiry about that. It can be really difficult to embrace that drastic of a change if you have had a full head of dark hair all your life and your natural hair color is silver. The transition is stark. Asking your hair stylist is moot. She/he isn’t going to encourage you to come in less often and spend less money.

Some of my friends say they would love to stop coloring but they’re afraid their hair won’t be a pretty gray. We aren’t all blessed with a natural color that pleases us. For me personally, my hair was always a mousy brown that wasn’t particularly shiny. My hair is fine but I have lots of it. Gray hair is a bit more coarse. I’m happier with my hair the grayer it gets. I was visiting friends last weekend. Their houseguest remarked that women would pay big bucks to get the streaks that have shown up as I ‘ripen’.

Hair style and color is a deeply personal thing. It’s our way of expressing to the world how we see ourselves…how we want the world to see us. If you’re happy, I’m happy. However, if you really want to stop coloring your gray and are afraid of what you might find underneath, I encourage you to be brave and walk your way through that transition with courage. You can always go back if you hate it.

❤️

“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.”

Isaiah 46:4 NIV