You have Greatness Thrust upon You: Overcome Imposter Syndrome

I wonder how many of you have heard of the “Imposter Syndrome.” In case you don’t know, it refers to feelings of inadequacy or self-doubt that persist despite evident success and accomplishments.

For example, who am I to be the pastor of the Trinity Presbyterian Church in Bergen County, New Jersey, in this great nation of the United States? I’m just a hillbilly from the highlands of Southeast Asia. If I feel like an imposter or a fraud to hold my position, that’s called the imposter syndrome.

I was surprised that 70% of Americans suffer from imposter syndrome. It’s not a mental disorder and not part of the DSM5, but many people feel they have it. If you search “imposter syndrome” on Google, you get about 10 million results. That’s a lot!

Many students in Ivy League schools thought they were admitted by mistake. So, they worked extra hard to fit in until they discovered other students were in the same condition.

Many CEOs and top leaders also have that syndrome, fearing people might find out they don’t have the leadership qualities to hold the position, worrying people might someday discover they are frauds. Even Maya Angelou once admitted,

“I have written eleven books, but each time I think, “Uh-oh, they’re going to find out now. I’ve run a game on everybody, and they’re going to find me out.” ~Maya Angelou

Albert Einstein also said he considered himself an “involuntary swindler.” So, if you feel you have imposter syndrome, you are not alone. You might wonder, “Who am I to be an Elder of the church?” If you ask that question, you are just normal.

On the other hand, narcissists would believe they rightfully deserve their position. That could be more destructive than imposter syndrome because those with imposter syndrome at least have some sense of humility.

Then, how do we walk the fine line between narcissism and imposter syndrome? Narcissism could sabotage your success, but imposter syndrome could make you anxious and settle for less.

The good news is Jesus has a solution for us in today’s scripture lesson. Jesus has a massive mission for you to accomplish, and he cannot leave his world-changing mission to people with imposter syndrome. He said,

“Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.” (Jn 14:12).

That’s a huge responsibility, especially at times like this, as we are a much smaller congregation. We might be suffering from the imposter syndrome, thinking, who are we for Jesus to expect us to do greater works than he did? He must be talking about other more capable Christians or bigger churches.

However, we can’t hide behind imposter syndrome to avoid this calling unless we want to disappoint the Lord. Like it or not, we have greatness thrust upon us. As William Shakespeare wrote,

“Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.” ~William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night

How many of you can say you are born great? How many achieved greatness? I am quite sure most of us belong to the third category. We have greatness thrust upon us.

We are near the end of Lent and in the Holy Week. Just as Jesus left the responsibility to reform the world to the twelve disciples, it’s time to think about the great mission he thrust on us.

It has nothing to do with whether we have the capability, but it has everything to do with our response to his calling to greatness. It’s not an option. Jesus doesn’t call us to stay caterpillars but to be butterflies. We have no time and reasons to settle for less.

Today, we must decide to end the imposter syndrome once and for all. So, let’s begin!