Every year — March 17th — the world turns green. There are parades, shamrocks, and cheerful greetings of \u201cHappy St. Patrick\u2019s Day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But behind the festivities stands a godly man whose life was far more powerful than a parade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Saint Patrick was not born in Ireland. As a teenager, he was kidnapped from his home in Britain and taken to Ireland as a slave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For six long years he worked as a shepherd, alone on the hillsides.
And it was there — in the quiet fields — that something remarkable happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Patrick found God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He began to pray constantly. The young captive who once knew little about faith suddenly discovered a deep dependence on the Lord. In time, Patrick escaped and returned home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But God wasn\u2019t finished with him yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Years later, Patrick did something that still amazes historians. He went back to the very land where he had once been enslaved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not with bitterness.
Not with revenge.
He returned with the love of Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Patrick spent the rest of his life telling the people of Ireland about Jesus. Tradition says he used a simple shamrock to explain the Trinity — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Thousands came to faith because one man chose obedience over comfort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s the real story of St. Patrick\u2019s Day. Not luck. Not leprechauns. But surrender.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Patrick\u2019s life quietly asks us these question:
What would happen if we lived our faith out loud?
What if we forgave those who hurt us?
What if we loved people who were different from us?
What if we stepped into uncomfortable places to usher in Christ?
2 Corinthians 5:20 says \u201cWe are Christ\u2019s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ambassadors don\u2019t hide their allegiance. They represent their King. May we represent our King \u2013 our Savior and Lord!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, go ahead and wear your green if you\u2019d like. Enjoy the celebration. Smile at the parades. But remember the shepherd boy who became a servant of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And perhaps the best way to celebrate St. Patrick is his Breastplate Prayer that we hold to — Christ before us, behind us, above us and within us.
Christ before me \u2014 guiding the path
Christ behind me \u2014 covering what I\u2019ve left behind
Christ above me \u2014 reigning in authority
Christ within me \u2014 living through me every day<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#saintpatricksday #breastplate #AmbassadorsForChrist<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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