Lydia of Thyatira - An Open Heart to the Voice of God
- BE
- May 22
- 5 min read
Women of the Bible - Their Faith, Strength, and Heart - Lydia of Thyatira
Warm March days in Poland are the first to awaken those humble plants so often overlooked or stepped on - plants we call weeds, yet ones that quietly carry the life and strength placed in them by the Creator.
One can easily walk past them without noticing, especially when they grow in inconspicuous places or along forest paths.
In my garden, there is a wild, neglected patch of barren sandy soil. A few days ago, I noticed purple dead-nettle growing there - still fragile because of the poor ground. I stopped, captivated, gazing at those tiny purple spots among the grass.
The harshness of the place does not spoil the dead-nettle, yet it still lifts its delicate petals toward the sun, as if it had never heard the word “impossible.” Its colour is not yet intense enough to catch attention, and no one notices it except me in this moment of waiting for spring warmth. One can step on it, crush it, and yet it remains - quiet and enduring, reminding me that strength does not always grow in fertile soil and favourable conditions. Often it is born where no one expects it, much like “power is made perfect in weakness” (from 2 Corinthians 12:9).
And yet this humble healer among the grasses brings comfort in early spring. It has gentle calming and anti-inflammatory properties, helping ease tension and irritation. Its leaves support healing and quietly strengthen the body. Once the weather grows warmer, it becomes one of the first gifts for bees, offering life before the rest of the world blooms.
I bent down to pick a few flowering tops and add them to the tea to ease the tension left by winter.
As I looked at that little drop of purple resting in my hand, I thought about an extraordinary woman I have never met, yet whose name appears in Acts 16:14:
“One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.”
The association came from the colour. A colour which, much like truth itself, is perceived differently by everyone who looks at it.
Who was Lydia?
Lydia was one of the first European women known by name to believe in Jesus. She was independent and entrepreneurial - a dealer in purple cloth, an extremely expensive dye made from murex sea snails.
Purple fabric was a luxury, a symbol of authority, wealth, and royalty. The fact that Lydia traded in purple suggests high social standing and business connections extending far beyond her homeland.
Whenever I think of her, I immediately picture the woman from Proverbs 31 - the “virtuous woman.”
Where did Lydia come from?
Thyatira, her hometown, was located in Asia Minor (modern-day Akhisar, Turkey). The city was famous for craftsmanship and trade guilds, especially weavers and dyers. Lydia, however, lived in Philippi (present-day Greece), which suggests she managed international business affairs.
Why is this scene so moving?
Because it was not merely a meeting between Paul and a woman. It was the moment when God’s grace touched a human heart.
“The Lord opened her heart” - these are the key words.
Lydia was already “a worshiper of God.” She was searching for truth, but it was God who gave her the ability to listen attentively.
Does it really take grace to hear God?
Yes.
Many words may reach our ears, but not all reach the heart. Attentive listening is not merely a matter of hearing - it is grace allowing us to receive truth, even when it asks us to change our lives.
Lydia responded immediately. She was baptized and invited Paul into her home. Her heart became a home for the Word, and her house became one of the first churches in Europe.
My Personal Reflection
Sometimes I wonder how many important things never truly reached me because my heart was distracted, closed, or overwhelmed.
Lydia was an active woman, yet she did not drown out the silence of her heart. She remained attentive and open.
Perhaps today we too need to pray not so much for answers, but for an open heart, attentiveness, and trust.
Recently, while reading Fr. Krzysztof Grzywocz’s book How to Taste Life, I was deeply moved by his words.
I cannot rush through these short yet profoundly concrete chapters. I must stop often to absorb themes such as trust, wealth, poverty, courage, and wisdom - only a few of the ideas that remain in the mind long after reading.
Remember: Lydia ran a business in a world very different for women than our own. She was undoubtedly busy, and yet she found time and courage to choose what truly mattered.
Why?
Because she trusted herself, her feelings, and God, who had enriched her with gifts she knew how to receive. That same sense of trust led her to place confidence in Paul as well, and to accept his teachings about God becoming human in the form of Christ.
Wisdom and independent thought grow out of trust - trust in God, trust in other people, and trust in oneself.
Lydia was also a widow. In her culture, loneliness and grief could easily have crushed her spirit. Yet they did not extinguish her inner strength.
Perhaps suffering itself became a place of growth.
As Fr. Grzywocz wrote:
“In every trauma there is some treasure that may contribute to growth - growth in sensitivity, understanding, compassion, and wisdom.”
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Healthy Trust in Oneself
Healthy self-trust is not arrogance or blind self-confidence.
It is the opposite of chronic self-doubt and destructive self-criticism.
Healthy self-trust means believing that I can cope, even when things do not go perfectly.
It means allowing myself to make mistakes and learn.
It means relying not only on the opinions of others but also on my own experience.
Saint Faustina and Alicja Lenczewska wrote about this kind of trust as well.
Jesus said to Alicja:
“Be trusting and peaceful, for I am with you... First notice the beauty of your own heart. That beauty reflects My radiance.”
These words remind me how essential trust in God’s presence within the human heart truly is.
This was the source of Lydia’s strength and also the strength of Saint Faustina, who constantly repeated:
“Jesus, I trust in You.”
Faith and trust in Jesus become a creative power — the certainty that what we do matters.
Am I more like Lydia - open and attentive - or more like someone who “hears but does not truly listen”?
Do I allow God to speak, or do I only try to understand Him according to my own ideas?
Sometimes the hardest thing is not listening itself, but being willing to truly receive what changes our thinking, plans, and heart.
Perhaps it is precisely in silence and attentiveness that faith is born — a faith that does not stop at words.
And you?
When was the last time you truly heard something that moved your heart?
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