The intersection of history and world religions is complicated to understand. Even more complicated is what we know and believe about certain figures mentioned in historical religious writings, such as the many women included in the Bible. Whether you believe in Christianity and read the Bible or not, some of these women can inspire and teach us so much. Keep reading to learn about three women from the Bible that everyone should know.
Ruth’s Humility
Society has told women to stay silent and out of the way for generations. This irks most women, and the idea that women need to learn humility often creates uncomfortable friction since it reminds many of society’s treatment of females. However, possessing a modest self-understanding that balances meekness and pride is an important quality for everyone to have. We see this teaching of humility in many Bible stories, including the story of Ruth.
Ruth works hard to provide for her mother-in-law in a strange land after all the men in their family die. She’s never too proud to do the work or accept help when she needs it. Everyone should understand the value of hard work, but also willingly accept help when they need it, like Ruth did.
Esther’s Courage
There is a major difference between bravery and courage. A brave person is comfortable seeking out dangerous scenarios and responds to them without fear. A courageous person often doesn’t seek out a dangerous circumstance, but acts anyways because they know it’s the right thing to do. Most of us want to run from dangerous situations, but there are times when all of us will need to act courageously.
Esther was a woman in the Bible who acted with great courage. She was a Jewish woman married to the Persian king, who didn’t know her true identity. When his trusted advisor persuaded him to sign a declaration calling for the extermination of the Jews, she risked her life to appear before the king and petition to save her people. Everyone can admire how courageous it is to put one’s life on the line to save others, we and can exemplify that courage when we stand up for those who need help.
Mary Magdalene’s Faith
We live in a world that is rapidly losing faith, both in religious and spiritual belief systems and in humankind in general. It’s hard to have faith, or a complete trust in someone or something, when there’s so much pain in the world. Without faith, though, we start to lose hope in ourselves, our fellow people, and our religious or spiritual beliefs.
Mary Magdalene had every reason to doubt religion and humanity. Different Christian authorities cite her as the woman Jesus cast demons out of and saved from prostitution. She was attacked from spiritual and physical sides. Yet, instead of deciding that the world was evil and she could only trust herself, she placed her trust in Jesus, a lowly carpenter who claimed to be the Son of God. Jesus told her that her faith saved her, and even today, thousands of years after the verses were first written, we know her name. We can all benefit from having faith and hope in either a higher power or in the goodness of each other, even if our names won’t go down in history.
These three women from the Bible inspire us with their humility, courage, and faith. Everyone should know them and seek to exemplify their best qualities so we can make the world around us a better place.
