Mary. Rachel. Moses. Jesus
When it comes to Bible stories, certain names stand out, and those are the people preachers preach about and Sunday school teachers teach about.
But what about Eve?
Bestselling author, renowned pastor, and businesswoman Sarah Jakes Roberts, found herself fascinated by Eve, “to the point that I was almost stalking her,” she laughs.
“I saw myself in her. I saw such a connection to her journey that I wanted to advocate for her. Advocating for Eve was like advocating for myself or for any other person who knows what it’s like to know better, but not do better, and wants to recover from those negative moments in their lives.”
Roberts’ fascination with the Biblical Eve led her to write her new book,
“Woman Evolve: Break Up with Your Fears and Revolutionize Your Life,” which is being released on April 6, 2021. Though the book touches on scripture, Roberts avoids preaching to her readers. Instead, she writes in the voice of a best friend, offering compelling personal stories and motivational advice in a fun and instructive read.
“Sometimes we get so trapped in our belief of what we should have done,” Roberts says, “that we miss the fact that in those moments, there’s still an opportunity for recovery. If we’re willing to see it, trust it, believe it, and have enough faith to move in that direction, everything can change.”
“In my life, everything opened up for me when I saw everything that happened in Eve’s life, after she ate from that fruit. Everything after that moment was really her reaching for redemption and recovery.”
Roberts found her own redemption after struggling for years to make peace with her early mistakes, including teenage pregnancy and the breakup of her first marriage. For years, she let those missteps define her but eventually learned to forgive herself. Now a happily married mother of six, successful businesswoman and leader of the flourishing “Woman Evolve” movement—which includes podcasts, sold-out tours, philanthropy, video content and her new book, she’s on a quest to help all women move past their failures and become the best versions of themselves.
Even in today’s world, Roberts says women are affected by fear of failure.
“If we aren’t careful,” she cautions, “we will let our fear keep us from stretching, growing, going back to school, or starting businesses.”
Roberts sees Eve as a “woman in leadership who made decisions in leadership that set her back,
but did not allow that decision to keep her from moving forward. My hope is that modern women will be able to see that even if the business you started failed, or even if you have to take classes over, or are opening your heart again, previous failures do not define you if you’re willing to continue to evolve.”
Eve was playing the long game, Roberts says, and that’s what women in today’s world must do.
“We see Cain and Abel,” Roberts says, “in the beginning of Genesis—how Eve produced seed that didn’t turn out too well. But by the end of Genesis IV, she produced Seth, and after Seth’s generation, people began to call on the name of the Lord again.”
“There’s victory in setting in motion patterns that lead to promising results for your life. I see redemption in Eve setting things in motion, even if they take time to play out.”
Roberts says that today’s world can influence people to find their value in the wrong things, like how we are perceived on social media, or the number of likes we get. Instead, women, and especially women of color, need to find ways to get their education and establish careers, even if they are the first in their families to do so.
“I believe in saying, ‘I may not be the person who has the Fortune 500 background in my family. But I could study entrepreneurship and create a new standard.’ I want it to be normal for women to think that way.”
“The pandemic put everything in perspective,” she says. “All of a sudden, we all have to play the long game. We need everyone to play their part and think of the world as an interconnected entity, and to see a future that is more promising than where we currently are.”
“This pandemic has been traumatic and terrible and painful for so many people. My prayer is that as we come out of this, we can begin to see a new normal. I hope we will maintain our level of connection to truly serve one another even when the world is open again. And if anybody’s an example for re-energizing one’s life in the aftermath of change, it would be the first woman of the Bible, Eve.”