The Search for Significance by Robert S. McGee
Week 3: Chapter 2 — The Performance Trap
Read Chapter 2 of The Search for Significance. Key Scripture: Romans 5:1; Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:8-9.
Previewing Week 3 of The Search for Significance
Read 3 of 8 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 13-week guide when you’re ready.
This week we examine the first and perhaps most pervasive false belief: that our self-worth depends on our performance — and discover how the truth of justification sets us free from that exhausting equation.
Discussion Questions
8 questions1.McGee states the first false belief this way: "I must meet certain standards in order to feel good about myself." Take a moment to write out the unspoken standards you most often measure yourself by. Are these standards reasonable? Are they ever achievable? Who set them?
2.The performance trap produces what McGee calls a "fear of failure" that drives behavior even when the person looks outwardly confident or successful. How does fear of failure show up differently in an overachiever versus someone who avoids trying altogether? Which pattern do you recognize more in yourself?
3.McGee draws a sharp distinction between doing things to earn worth and doing things from a secure sense of worth already given. In practical terms, what does that distinction look like? Can you think of an example from your own life where the same action could be motivated by either fear or freedom?