This morning, during my devotion, I came across a quote that stopped me in my tracks:

“Today, ask yourself: Do my thoughts match what people see on the outside? Then, ask God: Show me how to do what You’ve called me to do, and be who You’ve called me to be.”

Purpose is a word we hear often, but it’s one that carries a weight I don’t always know how to handle. I know what I am capable of. I know the gifts God has placed in me. I know the strengths I carry. And yet, when I stand before a crowd, my shine falters. Not out of shyness, but out of a quiet fear: What if I don’t impress them? What if the glow others see in me dims under their gaze?

It’s a strange kind of battle because in private, or with the close friends who know me best, I’m bold, creative, and unapologetically myself. But in the eyes of the crowd, imposter syndrome whispers louder. It tells me I must hold back, because if I fail, I’ll lose the awe, the respect, or the wonder people carry when they see me.

But purpose isn’t about applause. It isn’t about whether the crowd approves or not. Purpose is about living in alignment with who God has called me to be, even when the crowd looks away. That’s the tension I’m learning to live with: that shining doesn’t mean perfection, it means authenticity.

So today, my prayer is simple.

Lord, help me align what’s within me to what people see on the outside. Let me walk boldly in the purpose You’ve entrusted me with, without shrinking when eyes are on me. Help me to remember that my worth is not measured by the crowd, but by You.

Maybe someone reading this feels the same, that quiet tug-of-war between potential and fear, between the private self and the public self. If that’s you, let’s remind each other.

we are not imposters. we are stepping into who we already are.

By: Maluba .M