A Crown

A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones. Proverbs 12:4, NIV

I just can’t seem to get away from this verse. It whispers to my heart in quiet moments.

Who am I? Would my husband (and others) describe me as a “wife of noble character?”

Noble: having or showing fine personal qualities or high moral principles and ideals; of excellent or superior quality. (from Oxford American Dictionaries)

Disgraceful: shockingly unacceptable. (from Oxford American Dictionaries)

Two extremes.

Most of us fall somewhere in the middle on this continuum and that’s to be expected.

None of us is ever going to reach perfection. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t stop trying.

Paul says it better than I can in this passage in Philippians 3:12-16,

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.”

The context of these verses is not putting confidence in your own ability, to know Christ in the power of His resurrection and “the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings.”

I am totally on board with not putting confidence in my own ability or achievements.

I get excited about the power of Christ’s resurrection.

Then I get to that last part: “the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings.”

Do you hear the brakes squeal?

But the Holy Spirit speaks to me, “Rebecca, it’s going to be good. Don’t resist this most-important-part of the process.

This is where my character gets transformed into noble character.

This is where I get to become my husband’s crown. Just think about that for a moment. A crown. A symbol of authority, victory, royalty.

And God says that I can be that. For my husband.

And you can, too.

It’s an awe-inspiring, thrilling thought, to be that much of a blessing to the person who’s most dear to me.

I want that. Do you?

If your answer is yes, pray this prayer with me:

Daddy, I come to you in Jesus’ Name. I ask you to transform me into a wife of noble character. I recognize that no matter what I have done in the past, I must completely put my trust in You. Let Your resurrection power work in me to change me. Allow the suffering I endure to achieve the purposes You intend: that I would be more like Jesus, who exhibits the most noble character of all. I say by faith that I am my husband’s crown. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

With love and prayers for each of us,

Rebecca