Strong, smart, and beautiful

I am going to be totally honest with you. I've been a christian since I was 7 and I loved hearing all the big Bible stories like Noah and the Ark, Moses parting the sea, David and Goliath...you get the picture. But it has taken me up to this year to actually read the Old Testament word for word not skipping anything. I don't even skip over the "so and so begot so and so." And I am loving it. I really start getting invested in the people's stories and I can't wait until the next day so I can read what happens next.
One thing I absolutely love is when God brings an intelligent and kind woman into the picture. I immediately start thinking that God placed her in this chapter so that I can learn something from her. And further more I like it when this woman is one that I didn't know of until now. So while I was reading 1 Samuel 25:1-44 I found dearest Abigail.
The Story: Abigail is married to Nabal, a "surly and mean" man, but she is intelligent and beautiful. David had kept Nabal's possessions safe for months and asks for some food in return. Nabal being the fool he is refuses and David sets out to wipe out all the men in his household. A servant tells Abigail, who takes it upon herself to apologize to David and give him the food he requested. She tells Nabal what she had to do to save everyone and Nabal gets sick and dies. When David hears about this he asks Abigail to marry him. She accepts.

But here is what I think I learned from her:

• Women can be great decision makers. Abigail is forced to make a quick decision to round up a peace offering to David before he has time to bring revenge upon the men. She doesn't have time to ask anyone else and she does the right thing. In my life, I like it when Wade asks me for advice. I feel strong and intelligent when my incredibly smart husband asks what I think about a situation. The only way I can give good advice is by knowing what solution would honor God and you only know that through Bible reading and prayer.
• God looks after his servants. Abigail saved her people, but her husband died. Who knows what her story would have been had she just been a widow there. But God brought David back so she could still be supported. My life is a lot different from Abigail's, but I do thank God everyday that he brought Wade in my life. I seriously can't believe that I "got" him. With all the imperfections in my life, I never would have thought that I could marry someone who could surpass all that I ever wanted and would be such a man of God.