Seven Characteristics of a Biblically Successful Woman
The world has a lot to say on what makes a woman successful today. Often, that ends up looking like a woman who tries to do it all: moving up the corporate ladder, starting a side hustle, serving at church, raising a family, cooking gourmet meals, maintaining a thriving marriage, staying forever young and fit, and keeping a Pinterest-worthy house.
On the other end of the spectrum, you also have churches and religious teachers telling women their place is only at home, and that Biblical womanhood can only be achieved as a wife and mother.
Combine all these voices and influences, and it can become hard to discern what a successful woman looks like in Biblical terms during today’s modern era. So, here are seven characteristics of a successful woman, as defined in Scripture:
She is wise.
The entire book of Proverbs talks about the importance of wisdom, but Proverbs 31 is reserved exclusively for highlighting the life of a woman of wisdom. The Proverbs 31 woman can be an intimidating model, but if you take anything away from her, it is that all of her actions and life is rooted in wisdom from above.
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. -James 3:17
She is not idle.
The definition of being idle is “avoiding work, lazy, without purpose or effect, pointless; spending time doing nothing.” In today’s world, idleness can look like filling our days with aimless social media scrolling, gossip, endless shopping, brunching, television, and other worldly pleasures. Although each of those activities can be used for good when they have a point and a purpose, too often in the modern woman’s life it is a way to pass the time (1 Timothy 5:13 and 2 Thessalonians 3:11). A woman who knows God’s word is one who works and spends her time with purpose (even when she is resting!).
She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. -Proverbs 31:27
She manages her home well.
The idea of being a homemaker, or a keeper of the home (Titus 2:5) often feels a bit outdated in the modern world. But the reality is, we all need to know the basic domestic skills like cooking and cleaning. A wise woman who is rooted in God’s word takes those domestic skills and makes a house into a home. It’s not about fancy furnishings or having a new, big house: a studio apartment and secondhand furniture can become a haven that is cozy and welcoming.
The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down. -Proverbs 14:1
She stewards her skills, talents and resources well.
There are several parables on the importance of stewarding what you have well (Luke 12:42-48 and Matthew 25:14-30). Because when we don’t use what God gave us, we risk losing what we do have. This includes our talents, skills, education, finances, time and the opportunities God gives us. The portion of each of those things that God entrusted to you should be stewarded well and continually multiply and grow. A woman with sound doctrine knows this and in each season, she uses what she has for God’s glory.
She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard… She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. -Proverbs 31:16, 18
She doesn’t do it alone, and she certainly doesn’t do it all.
As much as Christians often put the Proverbs 31 woman on the pedestal, the one thing we rarely mention is that she didn’t do it all alone. Proverbs 31:15 says that she provides portions for her maidens and in the context of when this passage would have been written, the Proverbs 31 woman likely had servants and/or maids to help her.
Yet, too often women today try to do it all, chasing the elusive work life balance where we do everything at home and at work. But we are not meant to do it alone - whether it is paid or unpaid help, a wise woman prioritizes what she can do best and what is most important in that season, and outsources or delegates the rest.
She has an eternal mindset.
A successful woman by the Bible’s terms is a woman who has her values and priorities in the right place: she knows what truly matters and her schedule and life reflect that. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21). Everything she does stems from a vision and a purpose that is eternally focused because she goes to the throne of God daily in prayer and Bible study.
She lives out the story of redemption in a way that points others to Christ. Her identity and worth are not found in material things, job titles, or a certain body weight, for she knows to whom she belongs and where she is going. Therefore, her heart is content in every season and praise is always on her lips for she lives out of abundance, regardless of how much she has.
Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. -Colossians 3:2
She teaches and builds other women up.
Titus 2:2-5 gives women a teaching model. Maybe it is because as women, we are often prone to envy and compete with one another, rather than sharing and building each other up. But, the Bible calls us to pour knowledge into other women and to comfort others as we have been comforted (2 Corinthians 1:4). A Biblically successful woman is always reaching a hand to a woman walking behind or beside her, whether it’s at work, at church, or simply sharing a favorite recipe or life hack.
What would you add to this list? What does a successful woman look like to you?
