A Business Woman
"And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us; whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul." -- Acts 16:14
A business woman honoured with a place among the immortals of the sacred scriptures.In all probability Lydia was a widow. Widows, when thrown upon their own resources, very often develop into splendid business women. What an honour they reflect upon womanhood.
Lydia was a native of Thyatira: However, at the time referred to in the text, she was across the sea at Philippi where she had established a merchandising business, carrying a line of purple-dyed garments for which her native city was famous. It took a woman of shrewdness and energy to do that—one who was not afraid of work and who did not consider it beneath her dignity to be a business woman.
Some women look with disdain upon "going to business." A young man asked a young lady if she worked. "Oh, no," she said, "now and then I get restless and go out to work for pastime." That was an exhibition of senseless pride. The world honours a young woman like Ruth of old who was not afraid to go to the field to help a widowed mother make a living. The young woman who goes out to work reflects credit upon herself and her kind. It does not endanger her chance of winning some Boaz. A man whose love is worth having will love all the more when he sees the object of his love engaged in honest toil. All hail to the working girls’ brigade. There is no nobler band on earth than the hosts of girls and women who have pushed their way into modern business and industry, where by the sweat of the brow they are earning their own livelihood, many of them supporting ependents besides. They deserve and have the respect of all right thinking people.
I am glad that Christianity in its early stage found a place in its ranks for a working woman such as Lydia, and that this honourable mention of her has been preserved in the pages of God’s eternal Book. From its beginning the Christian Church has welcomed working women into its folds, and to-day they make up a large part of its constituency. Lydia appears in our text at a prayer-meeting. Go to the average church prayer-meeting to-day and you will find a good representation of working women. Not only will you find them in the prayer-meeting, but you will find them taking a leading part in all the work of the church. Not many of them will ever get their names inscribed in any book of human history, but they will be found written upon the honour roll in heaven where they will be preserved through the countless ages of eternity.
