Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Saint Patrick's day has never been a big deal in my family. At most, if we think of in while getting dressed we may try to dig out a green shirt or something but that's about it. I actually had to look up what day it is because I can never remember when it is (it is March 17th if you didn't know). 

However, last year I was doing some research on the old hymn "Be Thou My Vision" which finds its origins in Ireland and actually has some links to St. Patrick when the day found a new place in my heart.  

To most people's surprise, St. Patrick was not actually Irish but Scottish. Long before he was a saint, he was kidnapped from his homeland Scotland some time between the ages of 14-16 and taken as a slave to Ireland. In his writings he describes how God used this time of captivity to grow his faith but also a time for him to learn the language and more about the pagan culture. He was in Ireland for several years (some say between 5-6 years) before escaping. 

Saint Patrick Stained Glass Window

After reuniting with his family, Patrick had a dream that the people of Ireland were calling out to him asking him to return. He then began studying to become a priest so that he might return to Ireland as a missionary to the people there. Patrick preached and shared the Gospel there for over 40 years and is credited with the country's conversion to Catholicism and he is the only missionary to have his own international holiday. 

This St. Patrick's day rather than just wearing green, looking for four leaf clovers, and drinking green beer, take a minute to pray for the missionaries around the world or send a note of encouragement to those missionaries you know.

Note: All pictures are taken from Google Images