Sarah Jakes Roberts knows what it means to be your own worst critic. Being the daughter of one of the worlds’ most prolific Christian voices didn’t allow much room for error, and as a teen mother and divorcee, Roberts found herself struggling with self-condemnation.
Roberts‘ new book, Woman Evolve: Break Up with Your Fears and Revolutionize Your Life, addresses some of her personal struggles along with modern-day comparisons to the Bible’s least likable female character, Eve.
“We look at all the female heroines in the Bible like Esther, Ruth, Mary and these women are celebrated. No one wants to be Eve. In fact not only is she not celebrated, but we have all blamed her for the hardships we face like labor pains, periods, everything is Eve’s fault. If only she hadn’t eaten that apple,” Roberts laughs.
The book challenges women to look at the way they view their own mistakes through the lens of the judgment heaped upon Eve.
“We’ve offered her no mercy, no forgiveness only judgment. Many of us operate the same way toward ourselves in our everyday lives,” Roberts explains.
The book touches on some of Roberts’ ups and downs as a young single mother, to becoming a married mother and powerful minister herself.
“I never would’ve seen myself doing this years ago. I grew up with this idea of what church was, and how righteousness looked. I believe my ministry is breaking down some of those stereotypes that separate and divide us. Church has to start within and if you are being hurt at the church you are at, you may have to stay home and go to bedside Baptist for awhile to get yourself together before going back,” Jakes shares.
Woman Evolved … acts as a workbook to empower and encourage women to realize the cape-wearing is often self-inflicted. Especially during difficult times, it’s important to love yourself fully and completely first so that you are able to love others. Jakes says she hopes women will read this book and reassess their internal judgment toward the Bible’s first female character and in that reassessment, work on releasing judgment against themselves and learn to love themselves from the inside out.
Watch Sarah Jakes’ full interview and learn more about her new book on the following page.
