Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Women, whether subtly or vociferously, have always been a tremendous power in the destiny of the world.”
And that, my friend, is exactly why Satan tries so hard to get you to believe his lies. These aren’t just any lies, they’re the kind of lies women believe about themselves when the enemy wants to keep them small, quiet, and stuck. You carry a powerful influence, even as a wife and mother. But you are so much more than even that… and we’ll get to that in a minute. Unfortunately, when you’ve been carrying invisible expectations for years, it’s easy to start believing things God never said. These lies women believe about themselves don’t show up all at once. They slip in quietly over time, until one day you’re left wondering if you’re the problem.
I want you to hear this loud and clear, the problem isn’t you, it’s the lies.
The tricky thing about lies is… they don’t always sound like lies.
Sometimes they sound reasonable, like you’re just being humble, realistic.
But over time, they wear you down.
Here are four lies women believe about themselves that show up more often than we realize, and the truth God wants you to know instead.
1. “I’m Not Good at Anything”
I feel this one to my bones, and it’s taken me far too long to shake it. It sneaks in quietly. It sounds like humility. It feels like defeat. But it’s not true.
Somewhere along the way, your gifts stopped feeling like gifts. Maybe they weren’t celebrated, or you hadn’t noticed them yet. Maybe they weren’t “marketable.” Maybe you’ve been so focused on what other people need that you’ve forgotten what you bring. And maybe, even when others did notice and point them out, you fell into the comparison trap. You brushed them off, because you saw someone else who was better. “I’m not a writer. She’s a writer.”
But here’s the truth: God didn’t forget.
1 Peter 4:10 says, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others.” That includes you, even if your gift isn’t loud or flashy. Even if it’s buried right now. Even if someone else has the same gift, only better. I do this too, and it’s ridiculous. How many singers are there in the world? Five? Of course not. And do you know why? Because five people can’t serve the whole world. Because five people with the same skill can serve different purposes. Because out of five singers, I may like one…and you may like another.
This is one of the most common lies women believe about themselves, that if no one sees their gifts, maybe they don’t matter. But God sees them. And He sees you.
2. “Everybody Else Has a Place, Except Me”
You scroll. You compare. (There’s that word again).
You probably don’t even realize that’s what you’re doing, but it starts to feel like everyone else got a calling, a ministry, a mission… and here you are just trying to make it through Tuesday.
That lie is powerful, but it’s not the last word. Ephesians 2:10 tells us we are “God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Do you hear that? That means your place isn’t a backup plan. It’s intentional.
Feeling like you’re the only one without a purpose? That’s one of the more convincing lies women believe about themselves, but it’s still a lie.
3. “It’s Too Late. I Missed My Shot”
This one stings the most when you can’t quite name what you were hoping for, just that it hasn’t happened.
The years blur together. You start noticing your age. The people around you seem to have found their place, their thing.
When my kids were little and I stayed home with them, I knew other women doing the same. I may have felt like I’d lost my identity, but at least I was in the same season as someone else. But one by one, as the kids got older, those women started something new. They went back to work. They started businesses. They found their next thing.
And I sat there, feeling talentless (lie), unsure, wondering what on earth I was supposed to do next.
Eventually, it started to feel like I’d missed my shot. Like my purpose got lost in the shuffle. Like this was one of those lies women believe about themselves, but I wasn’t sure anymore what was true.
But here’s what I know now:
God isn’t checking your timeline. He’s not disappointed by your detours. He’s not limited by your age, your résumé, or anything else.
Isaiah 43:19 says, “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”
New things don’t have expiration dates. And your life didn’t miss its window.
There’s a quote that’s often attributed to C.S. Lewis (but was actually said by Les Brown):
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”
That makes me think of my Grandpa. He didn’t find the career he loved, the only one I remember him doing, until he was in his 50s.
So no, it’s not too late.
And yes, God still has something for you.
4. “You’re Just a Mom. Or Just a Wife.”
This one is sneaky. It disguises itself as humility and selflessness, but behind it is a quiet erosion of identity.
I want to be clear here. Motherhood and marriage are sacred roles, but they aren’t the whole story of who you are.
You are more than your roles. More than your responsibilities.
You are not “just” anything. That’s another lie women believe about themselves: that if their life looks small, their purpose must be too. But God never defines you by your title. He defines you by His love.
Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord…”
Whatever you do…including wiping counters, answering emails, and praying under your breath between pickups. It all matters.
In a season where I felt especially lost, I remember praying every day for God to just tell me what He wanted me to do. An d then I read Experiencing God. One simple truth from that book stood out:
If you don’t know what God is telling you to do, go back to the last thing He told you. Do that until He shows you what’s next.
Sometimes the next step isn’t about doing something “bigger.”
It’s about remembering that what you’re already doing matters, and that it’s not the end.
One Lie at a Time
If you’ve found yourself nodding along, chances are you’ve wrestled with one or more of these lies women believe about themselves. If any of these lies have felt familiar, it doesn’t mean you’re weak. It means you’ve been listening to the wrong voice for too long.
But the good news is God’s voice is still there. Still steady. Still true. Still the only thing worth listening to.
You don’t have to untangle every lie today. These lies women believe about themselves don’t lose power all at once. But when we start naming them, we start breaking them.
Journal Prompt:
What’s one lie I’ve believed about myself lately?
What does God say instead?
Take the First Step Back to Who You Are
If any of this resonates, you’re not alone. All of these are things I’ve had to contend with personally. You don’t have to untangle it all in one sitting, but if you’re ready for a starting point…
Download the Free Clarity Guide – 5 gentle, grounded questions to help you reconnect with the woman God made you to be.
And if you want to go deeper? The Made for More Journal expands on each question and helps you piece together what matters most.
Small steps are still steps.
You are not too late. You are not too much. You are not forgotten.
