If any woman has been misunderstood and had her purpose misinterpreted and miscounted, it was Eve. She made the worst choice of her life on her very worst day. She took and ate the fruit from a tree that God instructed her and Adam not to touch. This disobedience was significant enough to potentially thwart God’s original purpose for her. Yet, by God’s grace, it didn’t.

In Genesis 1:26-28, God instructs Eve to be exceedingly fruitful; like Adam, she is to multiply, fill, conquer, and subdue the earth. Yet, even after Eve’s disobedience, this purpose was never taken from her. Eve was created with purpose, for purpose, and from purpose. As a woman also made in God’s image, so too are you.

Gender does not determine purpose, nor does failure. God’s words and instructions in Scripture define your purpose.

I can envision how the expulsion from Eden and the loss of trust in what should have been a blissful union with Adam might have caused Eve to lose her voice and sense of purpose for a time. Eve’s insecurity that arose, after disregarding God’s command in the garden and losing unhindered access to His presence, must have deeply affected her. This insecurity may have hindered her ability to dream or to believe in reclaiming what she had seemingly lost. The fear of failing again may have started to dictate her choices, as she contemplated that if she gave in to fear and temptation once, it could easily happen again.

Has insecurity ever held you back? Has the fear of failure or rejection ever limited you? Does it ever seem there are forces opposed to you living and leading with purpose? Is there a situation where you’ve felt misunderstood or rejected and in need of expressing your voice again? 

I encountered all of the above after only a few years in ministry. Recovering from rejection, misunderstanding, or even personal failures can be challenging . . . but it is possible. In Genesis 4, after Eve has gone through the devastation of a broken relationship with God, and a broken family, we read that she reclaims her purpose when Seth is born.

Genesis 4:25 says, “She gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, ‘God has granted me another child in place of Abel.’” Seth literally means anointed, appointed, positioned with purpose, placed intentionally. Seth’s life ushered in a new opportunity — for himself and many others — to live with purpose.

Even in the face of the most significant ramifications and hardships after The Fall, Eve influenced the next generation, and generations to come, to rise and serve the Lord. Despite her disobedience, God wasn’t done with Eve. By His grace, she reclaimed her purpose — and so can you. The same redemption given to Eve has been passed down through the ages and is extended to you as a female image-bearer.

Often when we struggle to understand why we consistently feel inadequate, we forget about the nuances and the nature of our sinful world. We find someone to blame and frequently resort to saying the issue lies with the church, pastor, male leadership team, spouse, family, or God. However, after working with hundreds of women over the past few decades, I can confidently assert that the primary source of opposition to purpose comes from within.

You might be the one silencing your own voice. Your core beliefs about your identity and intrinsic value are central to your ability to influence and lead in Kingdom work. Your core — the essence of who you are — is a mix of character, clarity, courage, and confidence.

At your core, you must believe that you have inherent value, created as an image-bearer of God and reflecting His character. This is the character piece.

You must be clear on your why, who, and what. This is the clarity piece.

You must believe that obeying God is the foundation of your brave “Yes” to stepping up and speaking out in your situation. This is the courage piece.

You should be able to enter rooms and sit at tables, fully aware that if God has opened a door, you can walk confidently through it. This is the confidence piece.

Do not doubt, for a second, that you were created for a Kingdom purpose at this very moment. The struggle is real, but so is God’s redemption. My prayer is that you believe God has called you for a purpose. Like Eve, even after your worst choice on your worst day, you can receive God’s forgiveness and impact the present and future generations through His purpose-driven guidance for your life.

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