Presented by Lauren Stibgen

I think most of us have had moments of self-doubt. That moment when you deeply question a decision or words you used in a meeting or in discussion with a friend. Maybe you are left feeling like an imposter. Imposter syndrome is a term that first emerged in the 1970s. Although I noted that both men and women can experience feelings associated with imposter syndrome, the research was rooted in a study of how family patterns contribute to these feelings in women. The researchers, Clance and Imes, found these patterns were born of sibling comparison, and on the opposite end of these women were parents who overly praised accomplishments and supported perfectionist behaviors. Essentially, self-worth is equal to achievement. It didn’t really matter if the self-doubt was caused by comparison or by over attribution of self-worth with achievement. Both instances had the same impact.

There are also some innate personality traits that lend to imposter syndrome. These include low self-efficacy: a low sense of your own ability of success, perfectionism: overthinking of a situation or your words, neuroticism: which is linked to higher anxiety, tension, or guilt, and social anxiety: feeling like you don’t belong in a social setting.

Feelings of imposter syndrome represent a gap between your own self-perception and the way others perceive you. For example, if someone praises you, you may not believe what they say or feel you have truly earned the merit or the promotion. Playing these feelings on repeat can lead to a pattern of overwork where you feel like you need to become worthy of the role you have, make up for where you feel lacking in intelligence or even hiding from others where you feel most vulnerable.

I would argue these feelings of self-doubt have escalated tremendously with the emergence of social platforms which are used to showcase our personal to professional lives. We live in a world of over curation—thinking about how your comments or pictures “fit” into whatever social or professional landscape you may be traversing in. LinkedIn is no longer the digital resume it used to be. It is a platform for thought leadership where algorithms are fed with impressions, likes, and comments! Ted Talks, new book announcements, a conference, a new position, a promotion. Everything is heralded about our professional lives.

What about when this imposter syndrome creeps into our faith? Do you show up to Sunday service feeling different than everyone? Maybe you aren’t worshiping like everyone else, or you find it hard to understand the message? You feel like you are on the outside looking in? Or perhaps it is the opposite. You serve on many teams at church. You are part of a women’s small group and a couple's group. You lead student ministry—overdoing it to overcome a feeling that you don’t quite have it all together in your Christian faith…

One Google search of imposter syndrome will bring up many articles from top business magazines. In fact, Harvard Business Review published an entire issue of their magazine entitled, “How to Overcome Imposture Syndrome” in May of 2023. There are countless books that offer “letting go” or a “cure” for this group of feelings closely affiliated with work. All of this sounds very exhausting!

What I love about God’s Word is that I can always find someone whom God has used for the glory of his kingdom that embodies whatever I see in the world today. This includes imposter syndrome. The innate personality trait of low self-efficacy or the low sense of one’s own ability for success can be seen in the Old Testament story of Moses. In Exodus 2, we learn God has heard the cries of the Israelites in Egypt. God calls to Moses in Exodus 3:4 by name. What happens next is nothing short of something that resonates deeply with me. Moses is called by God to do something and spends a lot of time telling God how he isn’t the man for the job.

Exodus 3:10-11, Come,