This is part of a blog series about fighting insecurity at work and four phrases that have helped me keep myself in focus. To start from the beginning, click here.
What if I don’t have what it takes?
Isn’t this the great question of The Imposter Syndrome? Not long ago, I spoke at a camp for teenagers. Terrified wasn’t even the word for how I felt. Teenagers don’t scare me, but the adults that come with them can be terrifying, and there were adults from every area of my life in that room. My boss? There. His boss? There. People from my church? There. Clients from work? There. Even family? Yup.
About 24 hours before my talk, I began to tell God all the reasons I wasn’t the right person for this job. The stage was too big. I didn’t have enough practice with crowds this large. I was rusty. The camp director was wrong for inviting me. My boss was wrong for recommending me. The whole camp team was wrong for entrusting me... If they really KNEW how little experience I had…
And in a moment, quietly but certainly, I felt a familiar still, small voice speak to me.
Do you think they’re in charge?
The question hit like a boulder in my stomach. It was short, but I knew what He meant. The director might have been wrong. My boss might have been mistaken. I most certainly WAS underqualified for the job description assigned to me (and had been honest about it), but they were not in charge. God had placed me in that situation. He was still in control and I had everything I needed to do what He had called me to do. Was it perfect? Nope. But I wasn’t called to be perfect. I wasn’t called to be impressive. I was called to prepare faithfully and then trust that God had put me there for His purpose.
Here’s the truth, you can put yourself in situations you should never be in. You can lie on a resume, pretend to know things you don’t, but for most of us, that’s not how we got where we are. For most of us, we came honestly to a place where we aren’t sure we have what it takes to do our jobs well, and that’s okay because…
God is in control.
He has placed you somewhere on purpose.
He didn’t make a mistake.
Maybe His purpose for you is to knock it out of the park professionally. Maybe not. Maybe He put you in a role to learn something you didn’t know. Maybe He put you there to encourage someone or offer hope. No doubt, God’s purposes are different than ours, but no matter what it is, you have what it takes because…
He knew what you had
and He knew what it takes.
And you're still there.