Elegant Solutions for Life

A degree in computer science elevated his credibility, so I asked, “What is an elegant solution?” And what does this fashion word have to do with modern technology? He answered, “An elegant solution is one that is the most simple, effective and efficient.”

His peers in the computer world shamelessly borrowed words from other facets of life such as health (computer viruses), animals (computer mouse), and relationships (computer motherboard). And the echo of yet another heisted term bounced around in my mind: elegant.

According to http://searchsoa.techtarget.com/definition/elegant-solution an elegant solution is: “one in which the maximum desired effect is achieved with the smallest, or simplest effort.” Fresh from my Abigail Bible study, I realized that God provides elegant solutions for life from His powerhouse of Scriptures. As the Creator of Abigail’s story, God prefaced her courage and wisdom with a simple phrase: “and she was a woman of good understanding.” (1 Samuel 25:3) Intrigued, I read verses with the word, understanding, in them, seeking God’s definition of this word that formed the foundation of Abigail’s actions. Tucked into Proverbs 9:10 is a simple but profound definition of understanding. It says.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Abigail sends us elegant solutions for the worst of life’s problems, and these answers were based on her “good understanding” which developed from her “knowledge of the holy.” Her story reveals that she did, indeed, know God. The vibrancy and power of the prophet Samuel reached throughout all Israel (1 Samuel 25:1), and Abigail listened. The teachers of her Jewish culture imparted spiritual riches. And her words indicate that she had a relationship with God. (She used the word, LORD, a relational name, seven times.) She knew what to do when her crisis crashed in upon her.

In a conversation with David, she gifts us with methods that work when we come alongside a friend in need such as:

1) identifying with them,
2) being humble,
3) using word pictures,
4) pointing them beyond the current crisis,
5) reminding them of God’s promises, and
6) bringing gifts.

Her methods arose from her elegant solution; a “knowledge of the holy.” Knowing God produced wisdom and the ability to dissipate David’s murderous anger which was directed toward her household, saving their lives.

Simple, elegant, powerful: knowing God. Reading His Word, walking with Him, being living proof of His beauty and power. Yes, Abigail is telling us that the most elegant solutions for life’s deepest pits of despair and danger come from knowing Him. As the Apostle Paul phrases it in Philippians 3:10

 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

Teaching basic computer classes several years ago, I would advise beginning computer students to do the simplest thing first. “Sometimes,” I would say, “the simplest, most elegant solution to a computer problem is to unplug the thing and plug it back in.” Simple. Effective. Elegant.

When we encounter what seems to us immovable and unsolvable problems, consider Abigail’s elegant solution: the “knowledge of the holy!”