Dealing with Impostor Syndrome as a Christian Writer

Have you ever sat down to write and a voice pops up in your head saying things like,

“Who do you think you are to be helping anyone?”

“You don’t have answers. Others are much more qualified to talk about this.”

Have you been there? We all have. Just like the inner critic (which I wrote about here), impostor syndrome can stop us in our tracks as writers.

What is impostor syndrome?

While the inner critic criticizes our ideas, the impostor criticizes us as people. It causes us to question our inherent value, what we have to offer others, or our ability to accomplish what we’re trying to do.

“You don’t have what it takes.”

“You’ll never figure this out.”

“You can’t learn how to do this.”

Many of the same things apply here as applied to the inner critic. The difference is that in most cases, the impostor voice isn’t helpful in the slightest.

When we place our faith in Christ, we become children of God. We have been made in His image. We are capable, filled with His Spirit. We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3) In order to manage impostor syndrome, we first need to settle our identity in Christ. My friend, Cara Ray, wrote a great blog post on this topic if you’d like to read her angle.

So many of the questions posed by that impostor syndrome voice are settled when we really embrace and internalize who we are in Christ. In our own power, we’re not competent to accomplish much of value. But in Christ, we have all that we need. Who are we to think we have something to offer? We are a children of God, filled with the Holy Spirit who enables us and equips us to have something of value to offer others. We are capable of learning new things and encouraging others. The God of the Universe lives within us. To say that we have nothing to offer is ridiculous.

One thing that has helped me in this area is to write down what those “voices” are actually saying. Sometimes they simmer just below the surface in our minds, loud enough to affect us but not quite loud enough to directly capture our attention. When we write them down, we’re bringing them to the surface and exposing them to the light. We can lay them before God and counter them with truth from the Word. What does God say about who we really are?

If you struggle in this area, as I have, I have developed a method of using journaling and spiritual disciplines to uncover what lies you might be believing and getting you stuck in your faith in this way. It came from the lessons that I’ve learned in my own life as I’ve wrestled with lies such as, “You don’t have anything to offer.” You can check it out here.

Where do you struggle? What is one truth about who you are in Christ that you need to internalize? I’d love to hear about it!