In her latest book, “Woman Evolve,” Pastor Sarah Jakes Roberts lays out the blueprint for stepping out of our old selves into a more fearless version of ourselves. As she takes a closer look at the history of Eve, we see that we’re more like Adam’s mate than we’d like to admit. But we can learn so much from Eve’s strength in her story. This month, we catch up with Pastor Sarah to discuss her new book and talk about how we can refocus our fears and insecurities to break through to our future.

SJR on how to trust the person you’re becoming, even when you’re uncertain:

I know for sure I’ve had those moments where I’m like, “This didn’t work out and now that didn’t work out. Everyone is out here thriving; why can’t I find my niche?” It ultimately came down to me setting my life up [for purpose], and there is a certainty knowing that I have done the work necessary for me to become whomever it is I’m supposed to become in this moment. So, what is that worth? It’s resisting the things I know I should be doing. Sometimes we have to clean up our house. We want purpose to visit our house, but our house isn’t clean. Purpose is the grandest visitor we could ever have because it’s God saying, “This is why I placed you in the Earth.” Cleaning up our act, getting engaged with therapy, having healthy mindset patterns, having healthy thoughts about ourselves — those are all things we can do to set our lives up for purpose; and in the process of setting our lives up for purpose, we find purpose in those things.

SJR on prioritizing our well-being during the pandemic:

I am on a journey of doing this and I usually find out that I’m not putting myself first when I find myself on the bottom of the pile. One of the things I’ve challenged myself to do, especially during the pandemic, is to know the difference between self-care and soul care. During the pandemic, I’ve been telling myself that I need to work out and things like that, and all of those are things for myself that make me better and allow me to show up in a healthier, clear version of myself, but that’s really self-care.

Soul care is what do I need on the inside of myself that would allow me to have peace and allow me to feel balanced. Everyone is different. I love cooking a really good meal and taking my time to cook. I love sitting outside and I love reading and turning on worship music while cleaning up my room. It may sound weird, but that’s soul care for me. It’s something that I do that makes my soul feel better.

Soul care is taking five or 10 minutes of your day and breathing intentionally, [acknowledging] how you feel, what’s going on inside of you, and then having prayer and meditation. We pray more accurately when we are aware of our souls.

SJR on taking ownership of our God-given identity:

It takes practice. Sometimes we think we’re just going to become this version of who God has in mind overnight, and then we get frustrated with ourselves when things don’t come easily. But you’ve been the Eve version of you, you’ve been the raggedy version of you, longer than you’ve been this God-blessed, divine, aware, enlightened version of yourself. So, give yourself permission to allow it to take time and practice. In the video you mentioned, I was talking about Woman Evolve and really getting behind what God is doing in my life, and not trying to shrink or feel inadequate because those are all feelings that I had to confront. I had to come to a place where I could exemplify courage by saying, “God, You see something in me that allowed me to write this book, that allowed me to reach these women, and now it’s time for me to talk about it and know it’s time for me to make sure every woman hears the message of this book. So, God, make me comfortable talking about what You’ve done in my life.”

I get to practice that with conversations like this, or going on Instagram Live. That’s me saying, “God, I trust You so here I am, stretching from where I am to where I’m supposed to be.”

SJR on taking the first step toward your evolution:

I think taking the first step is actually the last thing we do on the journey of revolutionizing our lives. I think it starts with turning the lights on. It starts with searching for the light switch, turning the lights on, and then ultimately taking a step. When we talk to people about changing their lives, so often we make it seem like you need to go from where you are to where you need to be overnight. But there is an awareness that comes with, “Wow, I’m not functioning the way that I should.” Now that my lights are on, what do I need to do in order to shift myself and begin moving in a forward motion? For people who are in that stage in life, who feel like, “I know I need to get moving. I have to get out of here,” you’re already on that path. You’re already on that path because you’re searching for the light switch. Having an openness to “How do I move forward?” is really how we begin to find the strength and the courage to take the steps that lead to a better, more enlightened, more powerful version of who we are.

Woman Evolve is available now everywhere books are sold. Learn more at WomanEvolve.com

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