Inspiring Example . . .

of Abigail.  The bible describes her as discerning and beautiful and the wife of a hothead named Nabal. Nabal messes up and offends David who in this situation is a little bit of a hothead himself as he is ready to go to battle because Nabal was disrespectful.  Fortunately, one of the young men who works for Nabal and Abigail appeals to her to intervene before the situation gets out of hand.  I am amazed at what she does:

[1Sa 25:18-20 ESV] 18 Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves and two skins of wine and five sheep already prepared and five seahs of parched grain and a hundred clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on donkeys. 19 And she said to her young men, "Go on before me; behold, I come after you." But she did not tell her husband Nabal. 20 And as she rode on the donkey and came down under cover of the mountain, behold, David and his men came down toward her, and she met them.

A few observations here:  The amount of food she was able to assemble and deliver is amazing.  She was a woman in command and a woman of courage to face the intimidation of David and his men.

[1Sa 25:23-24 ESV] 23 When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got down from the donkey and fell before David on her face and bowed to the ground. 24 She fell at his feet and said, "On me alone, my lord, be the guilt. Please let your servant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your servant.

She humbled herself and sought David's mercy and asked him to consider the consequences of his planned actions on his future reign.  David was very grateful:

[1Sa 25:32-34 ESV] 32 And David said to Abigail, "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! 33 Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodguilt and from working salvation with my own hand! 34 For as surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, who has restrained me from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, truly by morning there had not been left to Nabal so much as one male."

She trusted God to deal with her foolish husband.  And He did, God struck Nabal down 11 days later.  Soon after she became David's wife.  She had a son  with David who was known by two names according to Matthew Henry's commentary.  His names had meaning :  his first name was Daniel-God has judged me and his second name of Chileab, which signifies, like his father, or the father's picture.

Application for a 21st century woman?  A godly woman has nothing to fear, no matter what situation she finds herself in, as long as she looks to the Lord for wisdom.