Lydia was one of the most successful business women in the Bible. She will find her story in the Bible in Acts 16:14-15. According to biblical records, Lydia was a businesswoman who dyed and sold purple cloth, a material used by the wealthy and elite of the day. This meant that Lydia was working in a high-priced market with a high-end target market.
But Lydia was more than just a woman who sold luxury items to the elite and the powerful. By all accounts, she seems to have been the head of the family, the employer of others, and a woman of great Christian faith. She was the first European convert to Christianity and the first to establish a church in her home for other Christians. Fellowship times included examples of doing business and worship as part of a businesswoman’s day.
As a powerful woman of God, Lydia has much to offer today’s Christian business women. Here are seven valuable lessons for women of God from the woman of the Bible, Lydia.
1. Keep prayer in your daily activities. Lydia’s Biblical story says that she met the Apostle Paul in a place of prayer. She also opened her house to have worship services for others. Keep your priorities in order as a woman of God. Remember to pray unceasingly about everything, including your business activities, making prayer a priority activity on your daily schedule.
2. Work to please the Lord. Lydia took very seriously her responsibility as a Christian businesswoman to work “as for the Lord.” She can display Christian beliefs through her nature and personality without being pushy or unprofessional. She displays biblical principles through her actions and decisions in her business.
3. Design a powerful company. Lydia was a no-nonsense businesswoman who built a major company in a rich market. Nothing says a woman of God has to play small in the business world. Christian business women should be open to working in all kinds of industries and not shy away from the potential for growth. If you are chasing big dreams, use Lydia as your role model for growth.
4. Try non-traditional opportunities. Being a successful and wealthy purple cloth merchant, Lydia was in a non-traditional business category during her time. Don’t hesitate to accept non-traditional business opportunities. Consider working in fields where few, if any, women are already excelling, and create new pathways to success.
5. Find your balance between work and home. Lydia kept her home even while she ran a powerful business. Every woman has to find a way to balance herself, keeping her home in order while she runs a business. It could mean downsizing or hiring help. Use your business skills to figure out what works for you to get it all done.
6. Learn how to grow your business. Lydia’s business was so successful that she had to hire employees. Growing a business means eventually needing to hire help. That help can come in the form of part-time assistants, independent contractors, freelancers, or full-time employees. Start in the early stages of business planning to consider how and when she will start hiring help so she can expand her business operations. This creates jobs for others, increases the economy of your area, and increases your status and influence as a business professional.
7. Know that you can be prosperous. Lydia shows that successful Christian women can be very prosperous. There is no reason to fear money or avoid making large amounts of money in business. The important key is to control your heart so that money does not become your focus instead of God. Lydia was a businesswoman in the Bible who prospered as she gave all the glory to God.