Imposter Syndrome in the Church

Hey there, friends! Welcome back to Turning Heads Blog, an open space for meaningful conversations about our faith in Christ together as a community. Today I'd like to expand on something that's been on my mind for quite a while: facing imposter syndrome in the church.

For those who don't know, imposter syndrome refers a mental health mindset, or to "an internal experience of believing that you are not as competent as others believe you to be" In other words, you feel like a phony. A fake.

It's easy to feel like an imposter in the church. During worship, to look around and see hands lifted towards the sky, tears filling the eyes of people around you as they praise God. You absentmindedly go through the motions, the words pass through your lips, and yet... You feel nothing but guilt and shame in the house of the Lord.

We've all been there before. Maybe there's a lot on your mind, a busy agenda. You sit through the sermon, your foot tapping as you consider all of the things that you need to finish afterwords. Or maybe you're stressed, worried or anxious to the point where you can't even focus. Or maybe you're just plain bored. We've all faced the mental health struggle of imposter syndrome - every single one of us.

It's so easy to compare your faith to those around you... I myself, am a victim of this manner of thinking. "I don't know God the way she does," I tell myself. "She knows the Bible inside and out... who am I to be standing here, worshiping next to her? Who am I to call myself a believer?" I compare my faith and mental health over and over and over, doubting my every move and questioning whether I even belong in such a holy place.

Church is a place for the sinners, not the saints. It's a place to give your cares up to the Lord, knowing that He fights for you. We have a God who will leave the 99 in search for the ONE who is lost. Jesus knows our every thought, our every care, our every burden and our every desire. He who created us, He sees our every flaw and He calls us His children. God loves you, and He will fight for you every time.

To let your mental health fall into traps of comparison is the snare of the devil. He watches you step into the house of the Lord, and he uses his best spiritual warfare to attack, filling you with doubts and insecurities, each "fake" and "phony" another stab to your faith. Do not let him win.

God chose you. According to 2 Corinthians 6:2, "Now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation." Facing imposter syndrome in the church can be overwhelming, but today is the day of the Lord.