Daily Bread

5 Feb 25

Mark 6.1–6

He left that place and came to his home town, and his disciples followed him. On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, ‘Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?’ And they took offence at him. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Prophets are not without honour, except in their home town, and among their own kin, and in their own house.’ And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief.

Then he went about among the villages teaching.

Reflect

Not that Jesus experienced this, but have you ever suffered from imposter syndrome? It is when you doubt your skills, talents, intellect, profession, or worthiness, fearing that you will be exposed as a fraud. At its worst, it is classified as a recognised psychiatric condition, but you can suffer with it mildly, or experience something like it at different times and occasions. It is something reasonably common to those called to serve the church as clergy, typically accompanied with thoughts such as, "Goodness! If the congregation knew what I was really like then they wouldn't be in worship today!"

The opposite of imposter syndrome is when we are not being our 'true' selves, or the people whom God created us to be. Either by choice, to conform, or by social or societal pressure, we mask our true selves, literally becoming an 'imposter' to others — typically when we are afraid of judgment, ostracisation, or punishment.

When I was first made to wear a cassock, surplice, and preaching scarf (clerical robes) my initial thought was, "This is not me!" To be fair, I still think this, but something as simple as this made me doubt my calling to be servant in the church. For others, it might be that they mask their true sexuality, their gender, their social class, their race, their education, or their their ability. The thing is, repressing who we are — and we are all fearfully and wonderfully made — ultimately harms us. The lack of self-expression comes out in many different ways. For me, it manifests in depression. Authenticity matters.

Jesus was a builder. He had brothers and sisters. He played in the streets as a kid, and, like any normal teenager, he probably tried to get out of doing the dishes and his room looked like a bomb had gone off in it. He could have struggled with imposter syndrome or masked his true identity, but he knew his divine anointing (his Messiahship) and knew he had to live it out, even when people who knew him called him on it. Jesus was his true self and who God appointed him to be.

Pray

Holy God
When I a struggle with imposter syndrome,
and doubt my skills, talents, and accomplishments,
or when I mask my true identity and repress who I am,
Help me to trust in your unfailing love,
and remind me that I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
That you have called me to be your child,
and that you love and honour me for who I am.
Thank you for welcoming me and accepting me
into your everlasting kingdom,
now and forever.
Amen.

Prayed times.
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