Her Hair, Her Glory

September 4, 2026June 30, 2026 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

I don’t remember when I first started noticing women’s hair. Probably about the same time, I started noticing women in general. A woman’s hairstyle says a lot about the woman, but I don’t want women reading this and feeling bad about themselves, so I won’t say any more, and I’ll let the rest of this post speak. And yes, I love my wife April’s hair!

There’s a quiet, poetic line in scripture that has shaped generations of women, and it’s often quoted but rarely explored deeply: “A woman’s hair is her glory.” (1 Corinthians 11:15) While this verse is in the New Testament, it echoes the spirit of Proverbs, a book that celebrates wisdom, dignity, and the beauty of a woman who walks with God. When Proverbs speaks of a woman’s honor, strength, and virtue, it paints a picture of someone crowned not just with physical beauty but with spiritual radiance.

In biblical culture, hair represented identity, dignity, femininity, strength, and honor. It was a crown, not made of gold, but given by God Himself. Paul writes: “If a woman has long hair, it is her glory.” (1 Corinthians 11:15)

This isn’t about legalism or appearance standards. It’s about symbolism. Hair is one of the few parts of the body that grows naturally into a crown shape, flowing, framing, and adorning. It’s a reminder that God designed women with intentional beauty, inside and out. Proverbs echoes this theme: “Strength and dignity are her clothing” (Proverbs 31:25). A woman’s hair may be her visible crown, but her character is her invisible one.

Culture obsesses over hair. Color, length, texture, style. But God sees deeper. “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” (Proverbs 31:30) In other words, hair may be her crowning glory, but reverence for God is her eternal glory. God delights in the whole woman. Her heart, her spirit, her story, not just her appearance.

In scripture, hair often symbolizes covering. A sign of God’s protection and blessing. Just as hair covers the head, God covers the life of a woman who walks with Him: “He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge.” (Psalm 91:4)

A woman’s hair becomes a metaphor for the way God adorns her life with grace, protection, identity, and purpose. It’s not vanity; it’s value. Every woman knows what it feels like when life tries to “cut” her glory: harsh words, broken relationships, insecurity, comparison, shame, trauma, and rejection. But God restores what life tries to take. “He gives beauty for ashes.” (Isaiah 61:3)

Even when a woman feels stripped, God crowns her again, not with hair alone, but with honor, healing, and hope. Proverbs 31 describes a woman whose glory shines far beyond her appearance:

She is wise (Proverbs 31:26)
She is strong (Proverbs 31:17)
She is generous (Proverbs 31:20)
She is confident (Proverbs 31:25)
She is valued (Proverbs 31:28)

Her hair may be her crown, but her life is her testimony. Her beauty is not just worn; it’s lived.

Final Thought

A woman’s hair is her crowning glory, but it is only a reflection of the greater glory God has placed within her. Her true crown is: her faith, her wisdom, her courage, her compassion, and her identity in Christ. God sees every strand, every tear, every triumph, every scar, and He calls her glorious.

Price Check!

May 29, 2026May 5, 2026 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

Self-checkout kiosk with touchscreen, card reader, and groceries at checkout station in grocery store — Image generated via AI.

It’s a phrase we usually hear echoing through a grocery store, a tiny interruption in the hum of everyday life. Someone at the register pauses, lifts an item, and calls out for clarity. “What’s the cost of this thing I’m about to take home?”

But lately, I’ve been thinking about how often we move through our days without doing our own internal price checks. We pick up habits, commitments, relationships, beliefs, and expectations the way we toss items into a shopping cart—quickly, automatically, sometimes because they were on the endcap display of our culture or upbringing. And only later do we realize we never asked the most important question:

What is this costing me?

The spiritual “receipt” we rarely look at.

Every choice has a price, not in a punitive way, but in a simple, energetic exchange.

Peace has a price.
Growth has a price.
Avoidance has a price.
Authenticity has a price.
Even joy has a price—usually the willingness to be present enough to notice it.

The trouble is, we often pay without noticing the transaction. We trade our time for approval. We trade our boundaries for temporary comfort. We trade our intuition for someone else’s expectations. And then we wonder why we feel spiritually overdrawn.

Take a moment and imagine your life as a checkout lane. Everything you’ve said yes to—every role, every responsibility, every belief—sits on the conveyor belt.

If a cosmic cashier held up each one and asked, “Price check!”, what would you say?

That grudge you’ve been carrying—what’s it costing you?
That dream you keep postponing—what’s the price of waiting?
That version of yourself you’ve outgrown—how much energy does it drain to keep wearing it?
That peace you crave—what small, brave choices would it require?

Sometimes the price is worth it. Sometimes it’s not. The point isn’t to judge yourself. The point is to notice.

When you start doing regular price checks, something shifts.
You stop sleepwalking through your choices.
You stop paying for things you don’t actually want.
You stop assuming everything in your cart belongs to you.

You begin to ask:
Is this aligned with who God is shaping me to be?
Is this nourishing my soul or depleting it?
Is this what God wants for me?

And the beautiful thing is, you can always put something back.
You can always choose differently.
You can always walk out of the store lighter than you walked in.

Here’s the quiet truth:
Your life is the sum of what you’re willing to pay. Can you afford it? Will you eventually have to get a loan from God? Or have him wipe out the debt via his Son, Jesus? This is not something to rush by or to take lightly.

So the next time you feel overwhelmed, stuck, or spiritually cluttered, pause for a moment. Lift the thought, the habit, the relationship, the belief—and whisper to yourself: Price check.

Discarded

October 5, 2021October 4, 2021 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

Do you easily discard things? Do you ever feel as though you have been discarded? In America, many things are thrown out without a second thought. We even have a phrase here of, “One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.” Some people have even started making a living by going around and collecting items that have been placed by the curb. They see that those items still have value. They will take them to a shop, clean them up and resell them.

There can be lots of good reasons to throw something out. It could truly be trash, or something that no longer fits, or an item that is no longer needed, or wanted. And instead of taking the time to find that item a new home it is simply discarded.

But what if the item no longer wanted is a person? “This isn’t working out. I want a divorce.” It seems these days that relationships are too easily discarded. Instead of staying together and lovingly trying to find the real root of the problem(s) people just give up. I suppose “working” on a marriage is too difficult or time consuming to some. The issue could be this; one partner doesn’t see the value of the other. That’s sad.

Every person has value. Yes, it can be difficult to see at times, but it is there. If you don’t see it then ask God to help you see it. I have a relative who is so hateful and mean to others. I admit I struggle to see their value, but I know it is there. I do know they help out financially a young family, so maybe that is it.

When Jesus Christ walked the face of the earth the religious leaders of that day wanted to discard him. Why? He spoke of love, he introduced God, he healed the sick, and not only taught, but demonstrated a better way to live life. When he grew in popularity they were “afraid” he would run them out of power and control of the masses. So they schemed to discard of him. Of course we know from the Bible that He got the last word. By showing them that even though they did all within their power, God’s power is greater and he arose from the dead three days after they killed him. They failed to see his value, or perhaps didn’t want to.

If you are feeling discarded today know this; you have value. God has placed something inside of you that only you can give away for free in your own unique way. Don’t believe those who have their own issues to overcome who show you hate, and please stop believing the lies of the devil! He will put thoughts in your head that could cause you to discard your own life. Don’t! If there is no one else around who can see your value know that God does, because He loves you and placed inside you a gift, a treasure, a heart of love to give away.