Monday, December 25, 2017

Partner with Sound Minds 2

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Sound minds delegate. It is strength to delegate when you should. Jesus Christ delegated to His disciples. He sent them to preach the gospel, heal the sick, cast out demons and raise the dead. The Apostle Paul delegated to his mentees. Delegation speeds up processes and saves time, a much limited resource. Additionally, you can achieve so much through delegation.

A sound mind knows when and how to initiate processes that move an organization; or businesses forward. The Bible describes Abigail as a woman of good understanding. She had the God given wisdom to manage Nabal and all of his character flaws; including his great love of wine and feasting. She could tell when he was drunk and always refrained from discussions with him (1st Samuel Chapter 25 verses 36 to 37). She was indeed a wise woman who did not allow Nabal’s foolishness to affect her and impact her life negatively. Abigail knew how and when to speak to him.

This is clearly demonstrated in her response to the servant who reported the incident between Nabal and the servants of David. Rather than complain or moan or wait for Nabal to arrive, the Bible records that she made haste to appease David and his men in order to save Nabal, herself and the entire household. The depth of her good understanding is revealed when she meets with David. First she bows to the ground in greeting David and then takes responsibility for Nabal’s offense. She apologizes and thanks David in advance for not avenging himself. She also tells David that God would avenge his enemies. She then presented her gift. She also begs David to remember her when God has avenged all his enemies. David was overwhelmed. What sane man would continue on the journey to annihilate Nabal and his household after Abigail’s great performance? None I believe but perhaps a Nabal.

So David thanked Abigail for her advice and received the gifts. By kind words and actions, Abigail saved her entire household from destruction.
Partnering with sound mind also ensures that you work with people who have great communication skills. Please, permit me to illustrate this point with the Biblical daughters of Zelophehad mentioned in the book of Numbers Chapter 27 verses 1 to 11. They skillfully negotiated for the right to inheritance for women without rancor, bitterness, war of words, arguments and quarrels. Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah, the five daughters of Zelophehad from the tribe of Manasseh, the son of Joseph are trail blazers in their generation. Boldly, they stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders and all the congregation of Israel to demand their right to inherit their father. Because this had never happened before, Moses took the case to God for counsel and God asked Moses to give them their inheritance and also make it a statute in Israel.

How did five young women get the attention of the leadership of a nation and the leadership took the case to God and God responded in their favor? These are beauty secrets. They were bold. It takes great boldness to stand before the leadership of a nation to request for what was not the norm. They were courageous – at the time they made this request, women were mere appendages of men either as wives, sisters or daughters. They therefore had no property in their names and no right to inheritance. They were trail blazers.

Finally, their diction, tone and presentation of the subject matter reflect thoughtful mental processes. They did not demand their rights; accuse the nation and its leadership of discriminatory practices towards women, of cheating them out of their father’s property.  Rather, they politely requested to have a portion amongst their father’s brothers so that the name of their father would not be removed from among his family because he had no son. They did not even accuse their uncles of greed, of cheating them. They simply requested for inclusion of their father’s name in the family through the inheritance of their father’s property. Their request was not only granted but marked the beginning of the right to inheritance for women in Israel.

Partner with sound minds because sound minds create wealth.


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