Confession – I like girlie movies.  Not exclusively, but I enjoy a good chick flick periodically.  JJ was away this weekend, so tonight I picked “Age of Adeline” from the DVR.

It was not until the very last scene of the movie (which I had seen previously) that something jumped out at me that I had not thought about the last time I saw the movie.  **Spoiler alert coming if you haven’t seen the movie and plan to do so.**  Adeline (who is back to being Adeline, her true identity, by the end of the movie) finds a gray hair when checking her reflection in the mirror, which indicates that she has resumed aging after an extended period of being perpetually about 29 years old for decades.  She has found love and will finally be able to have a future and“grow old” with him.

I have more white hair than I care to think about, which I color periodically so it doesn’t show.  Some of the gray strands take color well, but I have a few pure white hairs that don’t take color at all and remain white, even after a fresh dye job, that peak out at me when I brush my hair to remind me they are still there.  Hollywood has conditioned us (no pun intended, but I love it when that happens!) that we are to be ageless.  We are bombarded with ads for “anti-aging” products and taught that wrinkles and gray hair are bad.  At the end of the movie tonight, the thought that came to my mind is that there is no future and no opportunity for God’s plan for our lives to unfold without aging.  In order to move forward in time, the aging process is inevitable, and I dare say, critical, to walk out the journey of life.  Each year brings new experiences, new wisdom and new lessons that can only be learned at that point in your life.  I had a patient tell me one time to wear every wrinkle that I get with pride because I earned them.

Don’t get me wrong – I’m grateful (now- yes, Mom, you were right!) that I look younger than I am.  I have worried about getting older – your body changes, you can’t do everything as long or as fast as you could in your 20s – but tonight I have a fresh perspective on aging.  Maybe as our hair turns gray/white and your joints start to stiffen just a bit, that’s God’s way of slowing you down on purpose, now that you’re old enough and experienced enough to understand, apply and pass on the wisdom that he entrusts to you.  Proverbs 16:31 states (NIV): “Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness.”  I want all that God has for me and His plan for my life, so a few gray/white hairs (at least for today it’s a few!) seems a small price to pay. But don’t be looking for me to give up my hair color any time soon!