Today’s reading is from Matthew Chapter 10:16-23. This the passage where Jesus tells his disciples that he is sending them out as sheep amongst the wolves. To get the full context, I recommend you read the entire passage today, not only because it is really good, but because to be honest, I couldn’t get the passage to copy and paste into the blog for some reason. I don’t know what is up with that today, but yeah… after this week, it is only minor bump in the road.

So, I will start out with this… I feel like the Apostles a lot. Not because I am doing prophetic things, or because I feel that I am a chosen individual, but because I feel like everyday I am being sent out amongst the wolves. Let me put it some perspective on this before everyone thinks I have really gone nuts. I manage a team that is in a very high profile, very high intensity, and very in demand portion of the company I work for. Every decision, thought, email, phone call, conversation, breath, and step I make from about 7 in the morning until about 7 at night is scrutinized in some fashion. No pressure at all. I am in middle management, and for the most part, I enjoy what I do and the people that work for me. The flip side to that is that I have to be in the position to make a decision and stand by it……. no matter what. As a human, I have made wrong decisions and I have had to deal with that. I have also made controversial decisions, based on morals and knowledge of the business, and I have had to deal with that as well. In any situation, no matter what, I have had to stand up and be unwavering, even when the popular decision is not the best decision to make. So, in that way, I feel like I have had to stand up to the wolves that come at me.

It is the same thing with my religion. Being Catholic is no easy task. Just like the decisions that I am responsible for at work, I have to be all in when it comes to being Catholic. Nothing in the dogma says that the beliefs are optional, and trust me when I say this, not all of the parts to Catholicism are popular, and they do not sit well with any one political party, government, or other religions. Even still, it is the foundation of Christianity and all other Protestant religions (whether or not it is liked by those religions) and has endured for centuries. Sure, things have changed, but the basis, the foundation, and the stances have not waivered in those centuries. In this passage, Jesus was preparing the Apostles, and everyone coming after them that they are not going to be liked by everyone, but stay the course, and the rewards will be great.

So, in a way, I know that what I stand for is not going to be liked by everyone, or going to be the popular thing to do in all situations, but either way, in the end, I will be rewarded… The strength to make the choices and lead my team the way that makes sense comes from my faith. Just like in my faith, I have to be all in or it will never be fruitful (even if being all in is even hard).