God,

Sometimes, I feel like I’m walking in my faith alone.

I love my friends. They are kind, they are funny, they are the human beings I’ve built my life around. But when it comes to my faith, the thing that shapes me the most — I often feel like an outsider. I feel it in the jokes I don’t laugh at, in the invitations I turn down, in the moments when I hesitate before speaking because I don’t want to sound “too religious.” I feel it when my beliefs are questioned, when I am met with skepticism, when I wonder if they think I’m naive for holding onto you so tightly.

And God, it’s hard. It’s hard to be different. It’s hard to feel like I have to filter my words. It’s hard to navigate conversations so carefully, to carry the weight of my faith quietly so that I don’t make anyone uncomfortable. It’s hard when I feel misunderstood, when my convictions are met with rolling eyes or heavy silences. It’s hard when I feel like I have to choose between fitting in and staying connected to what I deeply believe.

God, I don’t want to be ashamed of you. I don’t want to shrink under the pressure of the world around me. I don’t want to compromise my truth just to make certain things easier. I don’t want to quiet my faith just because I’m the only one in the room who carries it. And yet, some days, I feel a distance. Some days, it’s hard not to wish that I had people who understood this part of me without explanation.

I need you now more than ever, God.

I need you to help me stay dedicated to my belief, even when I feel like the only one standing in it. I need you to remind me that being set apart doesn’t mean that I am alone. I need you to remind me that you are always with me, even when I feel out of place. I need you to fill the spaces where I long for deeper connection. I need you to remind me that my faith is not a burden, but rather, a light. Your light.

God, help me to trust that you are using me, even in ways I cannot see. Help me to trust that maybe my presence in this friend group is not an accident, that maybe you have placed me here for a reason — not to judge, not to preach, but to love, and to be a quiet reflection of your love. To show your kindness in the way I listen. To show your patience in the way I understand. To show your faithfulness in the way I live.

Help me to care for my friends, God. Help me to never see them as projects, but as human beings. Help me to be a reflection of you, not through force or judgment, but through the way I carry myself with kindness, with humility, and with unwavering grace.

And if it’s your will, bring people into my life who can walk alongside me in this faith. People who just understand. People who ground me. People who remind me that I’m not actually on my own in this journey.

And until then, God, let my trust in you be enough. Let my faith be enough. Let your presence be enough.

Amen.