Summit21 hosted over 1,200 women over the span of two days, with speakers like Courtney Anderson, Lauren Elliot, Sevyn Streeter and Karen Civil. Among the many glorious speakers was Sarah Jakes Roberts, who graced the Summit21 stage in Atlanta, Georgia, and brought everyone to church with her powerful presence and resonating words.
Roberts began the discussion describing her evolution as a woman, which she shared wasn’t a specific moment in her life but was instead a series of events.
"I want everyone to know that because when we’re waiting for our life to change, we’re waiting for this one moment where everything is going to make sense but what I learned is that evolving is a gradual process," Roberts shared with the audience.
As the audience nodded their heads at words Sarah Jakes Roberts spoke, she continued to woo the crowd of beautiful entrepreneurs, businesswomen, mothers, daughters and sisters with some very real points on authenticity. When asked how she started to find her authentic self, the charming Roberts shared that her blog, which had led to requests to hear her speak, had kicked it off for her.
"People started asking me to speak and I said I’m going to do it my way — with my personality, my style — I’m not going to act like I’ve never heard a Cardi B song! I wanted to be real and authentic, and then I found out there were other righteous, ratchet, sophisti-ratchet people who love God, just like me," shared the three-time author and businesswoman.
Roberts continued to speak on what it feels like to hear God and how she differentiates God’s voice from her own by sharing that worship has allowed her to feel God’s presence. She makes sure to take time to worship and pray in order to feel God surrounding her. She recommends playing a gospel song in the car or taking some time alone to practice worship if church isn’t the most comfortable place for you.
We all have advice that we’d share with our younger selves. However, Roberts kept things simple by sharing that she’d tell her younger self that she’s going to be okay. She also advised us not to lose our "why," saying:
"Don’t let this world make you lose your ‘why.’ Don’t let the spirit of competition and seeing another woman pursue her goal, and maybe seeing that she’s doing it faster or better than you, make you lose your 'why.'"
Needless to say, Roberts effortlessly left us all feeling empowered, touched and loved.
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