When Growth Feels Like a Risk

Last Updated on July 4, 2025

There is a quiet tension that many Christian women carry — the feeling that growth, visibility, or success might somehow cost them something sacred. Not their faith, exactly, but perhaps their place within it. Their belonging. Their reputation. Their sense of being “safe” in the eyes of their community.

Women are encouraged to be strong, but not too outspoken. To be confident, but not draw too much attention. To be capable, but never intimidating. The message is subtle but clear: your influence is only safe if it stays small.

In this cultural climate, even good things — a new role, a bigger platform, a bold decision — can feel like a risk. Not just a risk of failure, but a risk of being misunderstood. Of being called prideful, selfish, or “too much.”

We rarely name this tension out loud. But Scripture does — and it speaks directly to women who wrestle with the fear that stepping forward might cost them approval.

She Considered the Field

“She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.”
— Proverbs 31:16 (KJV)

This verse sits quietly in the middle of the well-known Proverbs 31 passage — often overshadowed by its more poetic lines about kindness, dignity, and household faithfulness. But it is one of the most radical moments in the entire chapter.

The woman described here does not wait to be told what to do. She does not second-guess her instincts. She does not shrink her vision to make others more comfortable.

Instead, she observes a field, evaluates it, and decides it is worth the investment. Then she acts. She buys the field. With the earnings of her own labor, she plants a vineyard — something that requires foresight, patience, and long-term stewardship.

The text offers no disclaimer, no qualification, no hint that this choice is risky or inappropriate. It does not pause to tell us whether she asked her husband or her father. It does not mention how her friends responded or whether others approved.

It simply tells us what she did — and affirms her for it.

This is not rebellion. It is wisdom. It is strength under the authority of God. It is a vision of faithfulness expressed through initiative.

Faithfulness Is Not the Same as Waiting

For many women, faith has been subtly equated with passivity. We are told that to be spiritual is to be still, that to trust God means holding back until all signs point clearly forward, and that boldness should always be restrained.

But the woman in Proverbs 31 is not passive. She is perceptive, discerning, and decisive. She does not rush recklessly, but neither does she hesitate needlessly. She moves in alignment with what she sees and knows — and she moves in faith.

There is a deep difference between action rooted in self-promotion and action rooted in stewardship. The former demands recognition. The latter seeks to multiply what God has already given.

Too often, women delay progress not because God is asking them to wait, but because they fear how others might interpret their momentum. They wonder: Will this look like pride? Will this upset someone close to me? Will people think I’ve stopped being “humble”?

These are not trivial concerns, but they are misplaced burdens. Scripture does not shame us for using what we’ve been given. In fact, it honors those who act faithfully — who take what’s in their hands and plant something lasting.

Initiative is not the enemy of trust. When it flows from discernment, prayer, and obedience, initiative is an act of trust.

You Don’t Have to Apologize for Moving Forward

Growth is often quiet at first — a new opportunity, a clearer conviction, a door that opens unexpectedly. But for many women, the moment we begin to walk through that door, a shadow of guilt follows close behind.

We wonder if taking up space means we’ve lost our humility.
We worry that others will question our motives.
We fear being labeled as self-serving when we’re just trying to be faithful.

But obedience is not always quiet. Sometimes it requires a public step. Sometimes it looks like signing the papers, saying yes to the role, speaking up in a room that preferred you silent.

If you have been holding back — not because God has asked you to, but because you fear how your growth might be received — it may be time to reframe that hesitation. Ask yourself: Is this a conviction, or is it conditioning? Is this wisdom, or is it worry dressed up as humility?

The Proverbs 31 woman is praised not only for her gentleness or her kindness, but for her action. Her virtue includes her courage. Her faith includes her follow-through.

You are allowed to grow. You are allowed to act. You are allowed to step into what God is calling you to do — without guilt, without apology, and without permission from anyone but Him.

Faith is Believing the Unseen

The woman who buys the field is not reckless. She is not boastful. She is not detached from her community or her faith. She is simply faithful — and unafraid to act.

Strength, in Scripture, is not opposed to virtue. It is part of it. God does not ask you to become smaller in order to be more holy. He calls you to become whole — and wholeness often requires courage.

If the Lord has placed something in your hands — a vision, a skill, a calling, a door — you do not honor Him by standing still. You honor Him by stepping forward with wisdom, clarity, and trust.

You do not need to shrink in order to be safe.
You do not need to apologize for fruitfulness.
You do not need to trade boldness for belonging.

You are allowed to consider the field.
You are allowed to buy it.
And in God’s time, you are allowed to plant something that lasts.

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Where in your life have you hesitated to act — not because God said “wait,” but because you were afraid of how others might perceive your growth?

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Closing Prayer

Father, I want to be faithful with what You’ve placed in my hands. Give me wisdom to act when it’s time, and peace when others do not understand. Help me trust that obedience does not always look quiet. Let my steps be rooted in Your truth, and let my strength be a reflection of Your grace. Amen.