In a culture where saying "God" is offensive and praying before your meal is taboo, living out your faith can make you feel like the biggest outcast. Everyone wants to fit in and avoid conflict and rejection, so why even bother with putting yourself in that position? Coming from someone who has been there, it is 100x better living out your faith than to be "accepted" into this culture.

The first reason is that this culture doesn't lead anyone to hope. It helps you dig yourself into this hole, but takes the ladder away when you want to climb up. The second reason is that you will find a faith culture filled with people who truly care about your well being and people want to pour into you, investing their time in you.

Being an outcast in a secular world is worth being on the in-crowd of the faith culture. It is a real blessing to be able to separate yourself from a world that is surface level and wants everything for "me, me, me." Once you see the truth of this culture, there is no need to try to fit in, no need to make yourself less to be "cool," no need to dull your personality because it's "too much" for people to handle.

Let the light that God gave you shine so brightly that people in both types of cultures want to follow your light. Though you will receive much resistance, remember that Jesus did as well. His closest followers left and betrayed Him. Just because you face resistance, don't let that stop you. It's a good sign that you're going in the right direction. Stand tall and keep your eye fixed on things not of this world, but the next.

In the end, it won't matter how many likes you got on Instagram or how many followers you have, but on how you served this world and others. God has given us our talents for a reason and when we suppress them to be like everyone else, we are doing this world a disservice. Allow yourself to harness the gifts God has given you and be an example for people to follow.