Today is St. Patrick's Day, the day we dress up in green and have celebration. What does the day actually mean? This morning I heard on the radio that the day is a representation of forgiveness. Hmm... it got me thinking all day during the work day. Now here I am researching and coming to my own conclusion about the day.
Who was St. Patrick?
He was born to wealthy parents near the end of the 4th century. He is believed to have died on March 17th, 460 A.D. His father was a christian deacon. When Patrick was 16, he was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family's estate. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity. (How interesting!) While he was in captivity he worked as a shepherd, outdoors and away from people. He was lonely and afraid and turned to religion for solace, becoming a devout Christian. (Wow, i'm really liking where this story is going!) The article i'm reading even states that he began to dream of converting the Irish people to Christianity during his captivity. (Now that's living out the Gospel!)
St. Patrick did escape as prisoner, the article states that a voice spoke to him (believed to be God's) and told him it was time to leave Ireland. HE WALKED 200 MILES. (Wow!) He had later heard from an angel to go back to Ireland as a missionary. He then began religious training and was ordained as a priest after 15 years.
We are now learning that St. Patrick was a servant of the Lord. Praise God! This is a true story about FORGIVENESS! After he was taken into captivity from the Irish, he went back and shared the gospel with them. He loved them with God's love! In reading this history I am thankful he was obedient to God. It is inspiring to read because God uses us when we are faithful. Be encouraged to go help build the kingdom of God for His glory! Find our who you are, your gifts, and be used by God!
"Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit" Matthew 28:19
This verse came out of the passage about the great commission. Take time to read all of Matthew 28. It is the Resurrection of Christ! How timely, as we are getting our hearts ready for Easter (side note, what does that word even mean?) take time to reflect on why Jesus died on the cross and rose again. It is by this testimony that we are called to be obedient and serve the Lord with all our heart!
GO & MAKE DISCIPLES!
I hope and pray this little snip-in about the history of St. Patrick's Day encourages you! So I say, be encouraged, wear green, and think about someone you need to forgive. St. Patrick was a great example of showing us what forgiveness looks like.
Here are a couple sources I used to gather my thoughts (feel free to check them out as well!):
http://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day/who-was-saint-patrick
https://teamexpansion.org/5-lessons-we-can-learn-from-st-patrick/
No comments:
Post a Comment