Throw It Out! Preserving Only What’s Good For Your Spiritual Growth
Life experiences have a lot to do with making you feel powerless and will chip away at your self-esteem. When you do not attend to your emotions, you permit them to show up unannounced in every aspect of your life. Eventually, you show up lost and confused. Lacking individuality can influence your relationships, career, health and blessings. With all the past stuff that has not been dealt with but instead preserved, you tend to forget about yourself and your God-given potential. It’s time to throw it out! God wants you to have an abundant life, bound in the bundle of the living with the Lord.
Let’s take a peek at Abigail, Nabal’s wife. In 1 Samuel 25:1-44, the Bible calls her a woman of good understanding and beauty, but her husband Nabal was harsh and evil in his doings. The quick version of the story is that Nabal owned thousands of sheep and goats, making him a prime target for thieves. Before David reigned as King, he and his men had generously protected Nabal’s flocks and possessions. The scripture says that David’s men were very good to Nabal’s men. They did not mistreat us; nothing was missing the whole time we were in the fields near them. Night and day, they were a wall around us (v. 15-16). When David hears that Nabal is shearing his sheep, David requests for himself and his men anything he has to spare. Nabal refused to give to David and his men and insulted them. One of Nabal’s servants tells Abigail about the situation, predicting what David and his men will do to them because of Nabal’s foolish ways. She quickly gathers supplies, food, wine, and sheep and settles up to meet David.
Meanwhile, David is furious. He and his men are en route to attack Nabal’s home when Abigail meets them, falls at David’s feet and pleads with David, calling Nabal a scoundrel and giving David and his men supplies and provisions. In return, David and his men blessed Abigail, and they turned back around.
The Bible says that Nabal’s heart died within him, and he became like a stone. Nabal preserved the wrong things. A few days later, his heart failed him, and he died (v. 37-38).
Abigail’s story is a testament to the transformative power of self-realization, understanding one’s true self, and faith. She knew her identity in God and understood that there was nothing too hard for her God to do. Despite her circumstances, Abigail was a woman who found her confidence in God, (v. 29) bound in the bundle of the living with the Lord. The words of the Lord are pure and worth preserving. They will protect and always keep you safe (Psalm 12:6-7).