Tip of My Iceberg

photo courtesy of Rashmi on Unsplash

He was born in Britain to a family of faith. At that time, Britain was protected by the Roman Empire. But just before his sixteenth birthday, once the Roman army had left the area, Irish pirates invaded western Britain and kidnapped young Patrick, selling him into slavery in Ireland. He was forced to be a herdsman in the cold and mountainous wilderness of western Ireland. Surrounded by strangers, unable to understand the language, separated from everyone and everything he knew, he suffered greatly at the hands of his captors. And yet, this is where he found his faith, praying to the Lord continually to save him from this plight.

For six years, he tended these flocks. Then one night, he heard a voice telling him that soon he’d return home. He needed to leave and find the boat that would take him there. One night, he escaped, and he walked two hundred miles until he found a port he’d never heard of, as well as the boat he’d been told about in his dream.

His family was ecstatic to have him back. For six years, they’d had no idea where he was. He settled back into the rhythms of his life, studying to become a priest. His family wanted him to stay in Britain, not to leave them, and to live the life of a quiet local priest. He felt compelled to go back to Ireland to teach the people about Jesus, but his parents and church leaders opposed him. They worked hard to dissuade him from leaving. They understood the Druids tortured runaway slaves, and they genuinely didn’t believe the Irish were worth saving.

But Patrick persisted. Even though he’d been enslaved by these people, he felt the Lord calling him to minister to the Irish. At the age of 40, he went back to Ireland to share the gospel with those who’d kidnapped him.

It wasn’t easy. The Druids tried to poison him, and he was often ambushed at his evangelistic events. He was even enslaved again. But love drove Patrick. He preached the gospel of Jesus with clarity and conviction. It wasn’t just that he shared his faith; he also helped bring dignity to the overlooked and marginalized of this nation. It was his ministry that began a culture of compassion and care. He shared the gospel of truth and grace with a heart of love until his death on March 17, 461 AD.

photo courtesy of eyestitix studio on Unsplash

Interestingly, the world’s most iconic buildings and rivers take on a green hue on March 17 in his honor. Most think of Patrick on the same level as leprechauns and Irish stepdancing. Or Lucky Charms, the cereal of choice for most of our grands.

But this was a man of honor and deep character. Shaped by his suffering, reshaped by God’s love, he learned to choose the Lord’s way instead of his own.

God’s call on our lives isn’t comfortable; it takes courage to accept it. Suffering and discomfort often lead to the place where faith becomes real. Patrick understood that the most significant thing he could do for these people who had so severely hurt him was to love them and share the hope he had in Jesus.

That’s definitely worth a jig or two.