Are You An Impostor?

Are you an impostor? I'm guessing probably not. Would you tell me if you were? Try this on for size. Do you suffer from impostor syndrome? I honestly never thought about this until the pandemic. After receiving a Zoom invite, I sank into a large pool of fear. The upcoming meeting was the first for the team that would orchestrate returning to work at the day job once the state gave the okay. Something just didn't feel right. I felt like I didn't belong in this meeting. I felt like an impostor.

Have you ever been there?

A quick internet search revealed that Impostor Syndrome is common and that it comes in different forms. At its core it involves doubt. We doubt our past experiences, writing them off as a result of luck not skill or talent. This doubt feeds fear and anxiety as we face the possibility that we'll be revealed as being a fraud. Does that sound familiar?

As with any problem, the internet is full of answers and techniques for dealing with impostor syndrome. I'm sure many of them work. A good number of them don't. I know two things that always work: prayer and truth. Prayer is our connection with God and the Bible promises that God will equip us for the task ahead. So when we stop to enjoy connecting with God, we can also ask how He plans to equip us to glorify His name while standing strong in the face of the challenge.

God also uses prayer time as an opportunity to reveal truth, especially the truth of who we are. People of faith are not impostors. We are children of the living God. Our lives are in His hands and He is orchestrating things according to His perfect will. And like any good Father, God is here to help. He wants us to succeed and will always put us in the right place at the right time.

I prayed and read the Bible before the meeting. I then brainstormed, preparing with a quieted mind under God's leadership. In the end I was over prepared and during follow up meetings I received compliments for my contributions. What happened proved I am not an impostor. I thank God for opening my eyes and for preparing me for a very productive meeting.