March is Women's History Month. There are so many fantastic women who have made an impact on the world, but there is one group that is seldom recognized that we can all look up to: women from this bible. While we can learn life lessons from everyone in the Bible, I think it’s important for all of us to also turn to the women in the Bible for life lessons. While living imperfect lives, we can still be close to God by following some of these examples provided by women in the Bible.

1. Eve

As the first woman, Eve originally experienced a perfect life in the Garden of Eden with Adam. In fact, her name is interpreted to mean “life”, since she would become the mother of all living things. The serpent tricked Eve into eating the forbidden fruit, which was both pleasing to the eye and desirable for gaining wisdom. From Eve’s life, we learn that we always have a choice when it comes to pleasing the world or pleasing God. We also learn that the devil will persuade us by appealing to us, and sometimes it takes a lot of strength to overcome that temptation.

2. Ruth

After she became a widow, along with her mother-in-law Naomi, Ruth was faced with a decision to either leave and begin a new family or stay with Naomi, who had no family left and no one to take care of her. Ruth refused to leave Naomi, and this shows her loyalty to family and her dedication to taking care of people who have lost everything. Her obedience is something everyone can learn from, and it is a perfect demonstration of being obedient to God when He calls us to do difficult things.

3. Hannah

Unable to bear children, Hannah was distraught. People said cruel things to her to the point where she refused to eat. In her misery, she turned to God and asked Him for a son, and that her son would be a servant of the Lord all the days of his life. Hannah prayed, and the priest thought she was drunk, but that did not stop her from pursuing God and pouring her soul out to Him. God heard her cry for help and gave her a son, Samuel, and he became a servant of the Lord. Through Hannah’s story, we learn that life will bring troubles, but if we seek God above everything else, He has an opportunity to work a miracle.

4. Esther

A beautiful woman of courage and faith, Queen Esther finds the strength to approach the king about his plan to destroy the Jews in Persia. She pleads with him to save her people, and he agrees. Had she remained silent, the Jews would have been destroyed. We can learn to listen to God’s voice and know that we have been appointed to do something great for the world at just the right time. He has appointed and prepared us to do His will at just the right moment of our lives, and Esther is a great example of what can happen when we know we are appointed to make a difference.

5. The Proverbs 31 Woman

Perhaps not an actual woman at all, the Proverbs 31 Woman is a highlight of everything a woman should strive to be. Sometimes we get discouraged reading about the perfection of this woman while we are facing troubles in our own lives, but we fail to remember that she is a painted picture. No woman can be as perfect as the Proverbs 31 Woman is portrayed, so rather than comparing ourselves to her, we should focus on applying her characteristics to different aspects of our own lives.

Remember to not strive for perfection, but to strive to be close to God.Through him, we can do anything He has called us to do.