Kimberly

Nanney

In my childhood games of make-believe, I never once pretended to be a farmer’s wife plucking barley in a field. Instead, I imagined myself an English duchess: dressed and swathed in silk by a lady’s maid, then descending to a sitting room for light reading as my husband wrote letters to acquaintances, while we waited for a breakfast tray.

Imagine my shock at the Bible’s version of a “Wife of Noble Character” in Proverbs 31:10-31 NLT:

She rises to make breakfast before the sun even wakes up—no silver platter of toast and marmalade arriving for this woman (see Proverbs 31:15). Then she goes out scouting vineyards, makes a decision, and buys one with her own earnings—not money she married into or inherited (Proverbs 31:16).

After a hard day’s work, her lamp stays lit after dark, not for entertainment, but to make sure her ventures turn a profit (Proverbs 31:17-18). She does wear fine purple linen, but she made that dress herself (Proverbs 31:22). And no lady’s maid dressed her; she’s clothed with strength and dignity (Proverbs 31:25).

I have a confession. Clothed in cotton sweats and a wrinkled tee, I used to make myself a breakfast of cold black coffee and prayers 10 minutes before my workday began, ready to quit by four o’clock. So, when I first read of this energetic, business-savvy morning woman, she rankled me. The poem sounded like her daily to-do list, and I couldn't imagine completing it in one single day. Why would God make this perfect creature the ideal wife? Some days, I felt like I had a better shot at becoming a duchess than a Wife of Noble Character.

To understand why, I looked at the poem’s structure. It’s an acrostic—each verse begins with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, from aleph to tav. When we say we covered something “from A to Z,” we mean all of it, and that’s exactly what this poem does. It spells out a complete life of wisdom, one action at a time, like putting on an outfit. This isn’t only about wives; it’s a pattern anyone can cut from—one that lets you laugh without worry (Proverbs 31:25). Playing dress-up used to take me four minutes. Dressing like a Wife of Noble Character takes a lifetime. But who in the Bible pulled off an ensemble like this?

“Noble” is how the Hebrew chayil is translated in English—from the same root as “man of valor,” “army,” “strength,” and other words of battle. And the only woman called this? Ruth, a foreign widow picking barley in a man’s field (Ruth 2:2). Boaz calls her noble because she served the destitute mother-in-law she could have left (Ruth 3:11). Ruth’s union with Boaz produced ancestors of Jesus, whose life exemplified what Ruth did in that field: the King of Kings did not come to be served, but to serve (Mark 10:45 NIV)—unlike my childhood duchess.

God created the design for a noble life for us, and sews alongside every stitch we make. We choose to put on our nobility as we choose what to wear each day, until each wise action becomes a piece in the wardrobe of who we are: rising at 6 a.m. to open the Bible before our phone, mending a hem rather than tossing the dress, balancing the books while everyone sleeps.

But most of all, a woman who fears the LORD will be greatly praised (Proverbs 31:30, NLT). And the fear of the Lord is what leads us to spend ourselves on those who can’t repay us, rather than to expect the world to wait on us. It leads to a commendable life.

So, what is one piece of a noble life God is calling you to put on right now?

~

Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.  

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

One morning, I stooped down to pray on the kitchen floor and asked God for something I’m embarrassed to admit—to bring order to my cluttered table. I wasn't kneeling over a diagnosis or a wayward kid, but the weed whacker and its fellow lawn trappings.

Because our farmhouse has no garage, lawn supplies overflowed into every room like water from a clogged sink with the faucet left running. No matter how many times I hauled them into a pile, they spilled right back onto the kitchen table and the counters.

By contrast, my desk, nothing special in itself, but sacred to me, held only a Bible and a laptop with a compulsively empty inbox. And it stayed austerely bare, not because I'm naturally organized, but because I'm easily distracted.

Thus, when the weed whacker and its lawn entourage flowed across the stretch of office floor leading to my desk, I started complaining. As the supplies grew, so did my complaints about anyone or anything interrupting me: the supplies, the house, the dogs, and my loved ones.

A few mornings later, I flipped open my Bible to Proverbs, and as I read through a few chapters, two verses jumped out:

Every wise woman builds up her home, but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands. (Proverbs 14:1, CJB)

A leak that keeps dripping on a rainy day and the nagging of a wife are the same. (Proverbs 27:15)

I felt as if my Father in heaven skipped correctional warmups and lovingly but not subtly called out my foolish behavior: attempting to bring order to my home without Him only resulted in eroding our peace—inside and out—one complaint at a time. This is when I knelt in prayer and asked the creator of order to bring it to my table. How He responded surprised me: He started the clutter communication by convicting me to stop complaining.

The next morning, my husband offered a solution I hadn't thought to consider: turn the office into storage, the workout room into an office-and-workout hybrid space.

For a few days it got worse before it got better—dishes on every counter, boxes in every doorway—but something in me had already changed because I knew that God’s hand was in it.

I felt this passage come to life:

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7, NLT)

I'd spent months trying to build a peaceful home, my mouth a leaky faucet slowly eroding my household one drip at a time. Prayer guided me to the quiet, certain peace of God.

What in your home, or your heart, are you trying to fix with your own hands instead of bringing it to God? I encourage you to tell your heavenly Father what you need and let His peace permeate every room in your house and heart.

~

Scripture quotations are taken from: The Complete Jewish Bible, copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.   

One afternoon, I started looking for doves, determined to learn something about the Holy Spirit. I’d sit cross-legged on my porch, scanning the skies for a gray-chested bird, and hoping that seeing one would grant me insight into a fascinating passage:

One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy” (Luke 3:21-22, NLT)

Here, the entire Trinity was made manifest: the Father’s voice, Jesus as a man, and the Holy Spirit in bodily form. It marked the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, which created a path that can unite us with God forever.

God’s Spirit descended like a dove, of all birds. His Spirit didn’t land on Jesus with the intensity of an eagle, but like a bird weighing less than a loaf of bread arrives on a branch—quiet as the turning of pages in a Bible. So, why a dove? What does a dove teach us about the Holy Spirit?

Looking into dove behavior helped. They’re monogamous, signifying God’s loyal love, but so are ducks. Doves are also partial migrants—meaning some birds travel vast distances while others remain year-round in the same place—suggesting a Spirit that both dwells within us and compels us outward; but then, so are robins. These details offered glimpses, but none explained why a dove was specifically chosen.

So, I kept watching for one every afternoon perched on my porch, secretly hoping a dove would descend into the mesquite tree with a scroll containing profound wisdom in its beak.

When no such dove came, I dug into Bible cross-references. One returned to Noah carrying an olive leaf after the flood, the first sign of God’s mercy as the floodwaters receded (see Genesis 8:11); God’s Spirit brings hope.

The dove family appears when Mary and Joseph brought one to the Temple at Jesus’ dedication (Luke 2:24). God prescribed turtledoves or pigeons as the offering for the poorest in Israel (Leviticus 12:8). Together these details paint a picture of the Spirit’s nature: humble and accessible to everyone who reaches for Him. Yet none of those insights clicked as a complete answer for me, and because the dove appears at Jesus’ dedication and His baptism, I had to keep searching for more.

After weeks of seeing nothing but red robins and sparrows, I finally got up. Calling my dogs, I slunk into the woods and thought about birds.

I heard one before I saw it.

A mourning dove’s song is unmistakable: a low coo-AH, coo, coo, coo. Our movement startled them into flight over the oaks, causing one to coo nearby. It’s a distinct voice—a recognizable call.

It’s the same with God. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice” (John 10:27, ESV). His voice is distinct once you’ve learned to hear it.

When we learn to hear Him, He moves us: to pray, to reach out, and to go:

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8, NLT).

The Holy Spirit can descend like a dove: a bird that arrives quietly, compels us to move, and whose voice—once you hear it—you never forget.

What is His Spirit saying to you? And what is He calling you to do?

~

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.