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| Do you have imposter syndrome? If so, read this! |
©2025 The Rev. Seth Olson
This sermon was inspired by the above readings and was preached on the 5th Sunday after the Epiphany at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Apostles in Hoover, AL. A video of the sermon may be found here.
Holy God, may my words be your words and when my words are not your words, may your people be wise enough to know the same. Amen.
It seems to be a common thread among those called by God—this immediate reaction of unworthiness. We see it in Isaiah’s vision:
“Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips!” (Isaiah 6:5)
We see it in Peter, falling at Jesus' feet after the miraculous catch of fish:
“Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” (Luke 5:8)
And we hear it in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, when he recalls his past as a persecutor of the church and proclaims:
“I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle.” (1 Corinthians 15:9)
This pattern repeats in Scripture because it is deeply human. When faced with God's call, our first instinct is often to step back, to disqualify ourselves, to name all the reasons why we aren't good enough.
But God does not call the qualified—God qualifies the called.
This Sunday, as we commission our Vestry, I imagine some of them may feel a bit like Isaiah or Peter or Paul—wondering, Who am I to take on this role? Am I truly equipped? Perhaps you have felt this in your own life: stepping into a leadership role, being entrusted with responsibility, or even simply being recognized for your gifts.
Our world today is filled with a particular kind of false humility—this idea that we must downplay our gifts, shrink ourselves, and live in a constant state of self-doubt, lest we be seen as arrogant or self-important. But that is not what God wants for us.
I recently viewed a powerful interview with Ilona Maher, U.S. Olympic rugby player and Season 33 of Dancing With the Stars’ Runner Up. In it she was asked about imposter syndrome—that feeling like we do not belong or aren’t good enough.
When asked about having imposter syndrome, Maher replied: “I do not have imposter syndrome, because I am not an imposter. I have worked hard. I have dedicated myself to my craft. I belong here.”
That boldness struck me. It short-circuited my normal way of thinking. And, it convicted me—because, if I'm honest, I often feel like an imposter. I mean I have the audacity to serve as a representative of God. Yea, I can feel like a phony at times and maybe you do too. But instead of berating myself for it, I recently remembered words from a college friend, Cane West, who once said:
“When we are following our calling, we aren’t being selfish or selfless. We are being self-full. We are fulfilling what our truest selves are meant to be.”
Isn’t that what God wants from us? To live into our truest selves, not lying about our worth, but stepping fully into it—because we are the Imago Dei, God’s image-bearers. Yes, it’s true, as hard as it may be to believe. Each of us is made in God’s image, and the beauty of creation is seen in the diversity of human beings, in our differentness. Thanks be to God we are not all the same on this planet or in this parish. Still, we can get caught up in trying to fit in with everyone else that we neglect the gorgeous idiosyncrasies and nuances God imparted within us.
In college I fell prey to this. I started acting exactly like my best friend Will. One day he sat me down to have a serious conversation. He told me, “Seth, the world already has a Will. It needs you to be you. The world needs you to be the truest Seth you can be.” I think God was speaking through my friend.
If we are to follow God’s call—to not shrink back, to not disqualify ourselves, to not live in imposter syndrome—then we must practice something that, for many of us, does not come easily: self-love.
Not vanity. Not pride. But a deep, honest, humble recognition that we are made uniquely in the image of God.
How do we practice that? How do we reframe our thinking so that, like Ilona Maher, we can say, I belong here? Here are three ways (and I know there are more):
1. By remembering that our worth is given by God, not earned. Before Isaiah was cleansed by the burning coal, before Peter left his nets, before Paul became the great apostle to the Gentiles, God had already chosen them. God had already loved them. The same is true for you. God has chosen you to be here on this earth at this time. God has already loved you into being. That’s why you’re here.
2. By surrounding ourselves with a community that lifts us up. This is where the church matters. If we are left to our own devices, many of us will always find reasons to doubt ourselves. Y’all might think, I’m naturally joyful and confident, but those were gifts instilled in me by the good people of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. Sallie Lowe, Pat Nakamura, Susan Leborg, John Wiley, Louise Cecil and many others saw gifts in me that I could not. It is in Christian community that we remind one another of the divine spark within us. We see Christ in each other. So, when you see Christ in your neighbor for goodness sake, tell them!
3. By trusting that God’s call does not require perfection. Peter was not perfect. Neither was Isaiah. Neither was Paul. Neither am I. Neither are you. But God’s call comes anyway—and with it, God’s grace. Isn’t that really, really good news? You don’t have to be perfect, as if that is a thing—that’s a man-made trap! Christ Jesus is the one who fulfills all in all. We share in the work, but we are not after perfection—merely progress as we continue to spread the Good News of God’s love for all.
So, what does all this mean for us as a church body?
If we believe that God calls the unworthy and makes them worthy, then we have a responsibility to help each other live into that calling.
This means:
- Encouraging one another when we feel inadequate.
- Reminding one another of our God-given worth.
- Helping each other discern what God is asking of us.
This is particularly important today as we commission our Vestry. These leaders have said “yes” to serving Holy Apostles. They will soon be commissioned to govern the temporal matters of this church, but they do not serve alone. They need all of us—our prayers, our support, our shared work in Christ’s mission. So, when they ask you to serve, if you are able, I hope you will say, “Yes, I will with God’s help.”
At the end of today’s passage from Isaiah, after his moment of doubt and unworthiness, God asks a question that echoes through the centuries and now falls upon the ears of our hearts:
“Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”
And Isaiah responds,
“Here am I; send me!”
Peter, too, despite his hesitation, leaves everything and follows Jesus. Paul, even with his violent past, proclaims the gospel with boldness.
What would it look like if we, too, responded to God’s call with a yes—not in self-doubt, not in false humility, but in faith?
Because God is calling you.
Not the perfect version of you. Not the version of you who has it all figured out. You—just as you are, right now. And who you are right now, my friends, is more than enough.
Amen.
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