1 Samuel 25:3

”…and she was a woman of good understanding and beautiful in appearance but her husband was harsh and evil in his dealings.”

Sometimes in life, we tend to find ourselves in complex situations that we never bargained for, such as the marriage between a God-fearing woman like Abigail in the Bible and that of her meanspirited husband, Nabal. Similarly, the complicated nature of the corona virus, is one such situation we find ourselves grappling with, in our world today.

As complex as covid19 is, experts tell us we must learn to live with it since it might be with us for a very long time. This calls for wisdom; the kind that Abigail had in dealing with her husband Nabal.

We can glean some wisdom nuggets from this story on how Abigail managed the people and situations around her; for life is generally about our ability to manage.

— She managed Nabal’s mean-spirited nature and foolhardiness. (1 Samuel 25: 36-37.)

We learn that Abigail knew when to speak, when to be silent and when to act in matters relating to her husband.

— She listened to her household servants report about how David had been kind to them in times past, and acted upon it. (1 Sam 25: 14-17.)
The Bible says a wiseman will listen and add to his learning. (Prov 1: 9)

— She managed the outrage of the future king of Israel.
The Bible says ”gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones” . (Prov 16 :24)
A soft answer will always turn away wrath.

Dear friend, the truth is that there are many things in life that we cannot change but rather simply learn to manage.

Today, I pray for you to receive the wisdom and grace needed to manage every complex situation you find yourself in, including the threat of covid 19.

Further reading: 1 Samuel 25:1-31.