ALONE DON'T DO IT

by Sarah Jakes Roberts

Everywoman we encounter has had a journey that has threatened to change her identity. Vulnerability is hard for us to experience just within ourselves; experiencing it with other women is even more challenging. It's even more challenging when we're doing it within a group of sisters, or we're doing it as women walking together.

But I want you to know that vulnerability amongst women is a gateway for divine confirmation. And it's divine confirmation that some of us miss out on, because we haven't had the opportunity to be vulnerable with one another.

When I think about my own life, I think about the many moments I missed an opportunity to receive divine confirmation. When Mary and Elizabeth get together in Scripture, it is so powerful because both of them are carrying a secret, but when they get together, they are able to confirm that it's not just a secret, that God is doing something in each of their lives as well. That is just as remarkable. That is just as powerful. That has left me marveling in the same way.

That is exactly God wants to do for each of us. When we come together, God loves when we share what God is doing in our life, because it confirms for another woman that heartbreak doesn't have to be the end. That depression doesn't have to have the final say. That anxiety does not have to be your ruler. But we will never know this unless we are willing to come together in a place of vulnerability. I didn't always get this.

As a matter of fact, I found myself often comparing myself to other women. And from that place of comparison, I saw all of the things I did wrong and all of the things that they did well. She didn't go through a divorce like I did. She wasn't a teen mom like I was. She probably made it all the way through college. And I dropped out.

I saw the list of things that I did wrong. And that means that another woman's success was my threat. I didn't want to live that way, but nothing changed until I came to a place where I was able to accept that my story is my story. When I was able to get vulnerable and naked before God, and to undo the deep conditioning that made me feel like I was less valuable or not worthy, then, and only then, was I able to look at another woman and say, “Yes, girl, you are doing your thing.”

I want you to know that anytime you feel alone, you can draw on the great cloud of witnesses and you can run your race. There are women in Scripture and in the world who have become evidence of what's possible.

I'm grateful for sisterhood. I'm grateful that God did not create us to live as islands alone, but that God in his infinite wisdom knew that companionship would be a blessing to us on our journey. It's why it was so important that Mary and Elizabeth were able to connect. It's why Martha and Mary needed one another. It's why Ruth and Naomi needed one another.

It is not uncommon for God to bring women together so that they can walk through the valleys together, and experience the mountaintops as well. But maybe you're not ready to open up to the woman who God has placed in your life. I want you to know that you can receive the companionship of Jesus, that you can learn to open up your heart, one-on-one in your relationship with the Lord. And you can begin to say, “I need a friend. I need comfort. I need your presence. I need wisdom. I need leadership because transformation is not a one-woman job.”

You can't do this by yourself. God won't allow it. God also sends those other women who can help us as we evolve and grow.

There is greater work for us to do. There are other women for us to wrap our arms around, other teen moms, other divorcees, other women experiencing depression and attempting suicide. Other women who have had addictions. There are more women who need to hear about this are more women who need to hear about this resurrection power that we have experienced.

So I only have two words for you. Two words that I want you to carry in your heart as you move throughout the earth, looking for those other women. Sometimes it’ll be a whisper. Sometimes you will hear it as a yell. But each and every time I want you to hear it as a command:

Because as long as you're still here, there is still work to do. So let's do it together.

Sarah JAKES ROBERTS

SARAH JAKES ROBERTS is a businesswoman, bestselling author, and media personality who expertly balances career, ministry, and family. Sarah is the daughter of Bishop T.D. Jakes and Mrs. Serita Jakes and pastors a dynamic community of artists and professionals in Hollywood alongside her husband, Touré Roberts.