“The tendency to hide is so strong that psychologists sometimes speak of imposter’s phenomenon: the universal sense that at some level I’m faking it, that if others knew the truth about me, the jig would be up. The more skilled we are at impression management, the more we’re trapped in our true aloneness. But we are not made to be that way.”- John Ortberg
“Every day [the believers] continued to meet in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.”- Acts 2:46 (NIV)
John Ortberg continues Chapter 4 of Everybody’s Normal . . . as he talks about the differences between solitude and hiding. Solitude:
- is a gift from God.
- existed before the Fall.
- is the experience of being a unique person who possesses the ability to think, value, and choose on their own.
- enriches and contributes to community.
However, hiding:
- is a curse.
- came into being after the Fall.
- involves pretending and deceiving, fear and anxiety.
- always diminishes our contributions to community.
Therefore, when God questioned Adam about his hiding, God didn’t refer to Adam’s geographical locations. Certainly, John quips, God never needs a global tracking system to keep track of his created beings. Because His audacious grace treated Adam as a person, even in the face of his defiance. One never enters a relationship with God through brute force.
In addition, John stresses, authentic community never coerces or manipulates people into self-disclosure. It’s possible to pressure someone into conformity, but not into community.
In conclusion, Pastor Ortberg wonders:
“Imagine what life would be like it all pretense were to vanish from it. Imagine the freedom and relief of not trying to convince anyone you were smarter or better than you are. This really is God’s plan for human life.”
Finally, starting with the next blog, John looks at three stages of openness or disclosure that lead us toward greater levels of authenticity.
Today’s question: When do you find yourself in the grip of imposter’s phenomenon? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “The discipline of confession”