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The “Sharing the Faith” Life Teen Blog series features testimonies of core members who find creative ways to live out the Gospel in their unique vocational fields.

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“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.” (John 15:18)

Hi! My name is Joe. I am a young adult trying to figure out where God is calling me. Over the past few years I’ve had a question on my mind:

How can I pursue a profession that is constantly combating my faith? 

That may seem *dramatic*, but dramatic is common for a theater kid like me. I’ve been doing theater for as long as I can remember. It’s strange to reflect on, considering no one else in my family has a strong interest in the arts. My parents say I sang before I spoke. Growing up, I felt like I was most myself when I was performing. My favorite thing to do in the world was to entertain people. 

I had what most people would think of as a traditional Catholic upbringing. I went to church, received my sacraments, and even went to Catholic school. As I grew older, problems began to arise between my religious and theater life. I would often witness things I knew were against my faith. In fact, many elements at the core of the performing arts seemed hostile to what I knew was true. So I would be afraid to speak up when I saw something wrong out of fear of how I’d be seen by others. 

It wasn’t just in the theater community that I had my struggle; the very act of performing eventually presented its own set of moral dilemmas, too. As I entered the adult world, the material I was presented with would often contradict my religious beliefs. I was asked to have physicality with others in roles that I would not be comfortable with in my own relationships. Many of the shows around me would have morals I wasn’t comfortable representing. On top of all this, shows would use the Lord’s name in vain. Yet it would literally be illegal in the show’s rights for me to change this. I was filled with terrible anxiety, like at any moment my world would crumble.

How could someone live virtuously with this career?

When I went to a director to explain that I could not do or say something because of my faith, I would often be told that with this mindset I would not make it far in the industry. It was normal and acceptable to others, so why couldn’t I be the same? I began to think this meant that I was not called to do this with my life. I began to question if it was possible for me to follow my faith and pursue the arts.

Then, in high school, I attended a Steubenville Youth Conference. There, I heard stories of how the saints didn’t have their personalities repressed by living for Christ, but rather experienced the fullness of what their personalities were meant to be. I wondered if I could experience this too. Still, was I called to pursue a career in which my faith was poorly represented?

As I went into college, I started to look at career options that I considered “safer.” I examined different career paths that challenged my faith less. I felt hollow like I was going against God’s plan for me. I was filled with this deep sadness I felt I had no control over. I went to an Adoration chapel every day and took it to prayer.

In my first year of adulthood, my interest in being a writer increased. I premiered the first-ever production of a play I wrote. It was received extremely positively without me having to compromise what I believed. People came up to me and said my play made them realize certain aspects of their lives. That’s when I came to a strong realization. 

Just because our faith is challenged in a particular setting does not necessarily mean we should avoid it. In fact, we may often be called to bring the light of Christ to these places where it’s hardly shone before. I realized I could do the Lord’s will in this profession, even if it came with more struggle.

Look at heroic figures in the Bible, especially the New Testament, and you’ll see that many of them were convicted by the Holy Spirit to share the Good News in places where it had a history of being rejected. The apostles constantly faced persecution but, in the end, it didn’t scare them away from stepping out of their comfort zones and doing what they were meant to. We may be far from the apostles’ original mission territories, but we are still called to spread God’s love to new places. (Matthew 28:19)

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.” (John 15:18)

As modern-day Christians, we may be tempted to play things safe or default to a lukewarm state of living. We may avoid speaking out or we may stay in our own bubble; but this prevents us from bringing Christ to others. The decision to be bold and share our faith in unlikely places may come with pain, hardship, difficulty and even suffering; but it can be incredibly beautiful, rewarding, worthwhile, and blessed.

I’m excited to keep learning where God wants me to go, and I pray He helps you see His path for you, too.