I do love St. Patrick’s day! It’s always captivated me.
As a child wearing green or else! Pinch! …the leprechauns…the rainbows and gold…the foods and the music…the playful fun of the day.
Then, as a school teacher…while making my regular lesson plans for my kids I was getting ready for the fun of that day – clover math, rainbow science, and fun leprechaun tag followed by green treats, I happened to be in the greeting card aisle when came across a card for St. Patrick’s day. It had a classic drawing of the old saint on the cover and a nice greeting inside – but…
…on the back of the card was the story of the man.
As I stood in the greeting card aisle I not only couldn’t put the card down, I couldn’t just do the regular plans. I had to talk about this kidnapped teen and how his life was changed.
The real Patrick— was ridiculously, inspirationally, powerfully bold! What a story. It gripped me – still does to this day.
It’s filled with tragedy and redemption, stolen from his home, enslaved in a foreign land, and then—against all odds—returning, not with bitterness, but with the gospel.
I still have that St. Patrick’s day card. Never mailed it. Kept it in my teacher files. and I come back to that story again and again because his story still speaks. It fascinated and inspired my 3rd graders back then and calls me still today to live boldly, to love faithfully, to step beyond the safe and the familiar, and to trust that wherever God calls, He goes with me.
From Captive to Called
Patrick was just a boy when his world was torn apart.
At sixteen, he was ripped from the life he knew—his home in Roman Britain, his family, his safety—by Irish raiders who stormed the shores. There was no warning, no time for goodbyes. One moment, he was a free young man, the son of a well-respected family, and the next, he was bound in chains, forced onto a ship, and carried across the sea to a foreign land.
Ireland was wild and untamed in ways Patrick had never known. The people spoke a language he didn’t understand. The land was harsh. And Patrick, a privileged young man from a wealthy home, was now nothing more than a slave—forced to tend sheep on remote hillsides, alone for days and nights on end, exposed to the bitter cold and brutal conditions.
The pain and reality of all this grips me. Did he cry out for his mother, his father? Did he wonder if anyone would come looking for him? He was utterly abandoned. Except, he would later realize, he wasn’t.
In the loneliness of those hills, Patrick began to pray—not in ritual or formality, but in desperate, aching need. He wrote later in his Confession that in his captivity, he would pray up to a hundred times a day, and again through the night:
“I prayed in the woods and on the mountain, even before dawn. I felt no hurt, for the spirit was fervent within me.”
After six long years, Patrick had a dream—a vision directing him to flee. Risking everything, he traveled over 200 miles to the coast, where he miraculously found a ship that would take him home. The journey was perilous, but at last, he returned to Britain, to the life and family he had lost.
The nightmare was over. He was safe.
But here’s where his story takes a breathtaking turn. Safe at home, surrounded by family, Patrick had another dream—one that would change his life forever. In it, the people of Ireland called him back: “We beg you, holy youth, come and walk among us once more.”
Of all the things God could have asked of him—why this?
Go back? To the very place of his captivity? To the land that stole six years of his life? To the people who had enslaved him?
This young man, once a slave, chose to return to the very people who had enslaved him—not for revenge, but for redemption.
A Bold Faith Beyond Borders
Patrick’s return to Ireland was not easy. He faced opposition, danger, and spiritual warfare. Yet, with love and relentless obedience, he preached the gospel to the people who had once been his captors. Over the course of his ministry, thousands came to Christ. He baptized, discipled, and even confronted the pagan kings of Ireland, unafraid to proclaim the name of Jesus.
I can’t help but think of God’s words to Joshua:
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Josh. 1:9)
Patrick lived this out. He stepped beyond the safety of home, beyond fear, and into the call of God with boldness.
The Great Commission in Action
While I don’t venerate saints in the way Catholic tradition does, I do honor the faith of those who walked before me, who lived and died for the gospel. And in Patrick, I see a life that echoes Jesus’ command in Matthew 28:19-20:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Patrick did just that out of a deep, unwavering love for Jesus and for the lost. Boldness that moves beyond the moment. Sees the higher calling the greater need and pushes past comfort.
A Call to Boldness
Maybe you feel the same pull—
To do something bold, but you’re afraid.
To go somewhere unknown, but you don’t know if you’re ready.
To trust God more, but you don’t know where it will lead.
I want to reflect on a man who dared to live out the Great Commission—
who traded comfort for calling
safety for surrender
fear for faith
It’s easy to admire Patrick from a distance, to nod along and marvel at his faith. His life brings up questions in my own life…
What happens when God calls me beyond what is safe and familiar?
Would I go?
Would I love my enemies enough to bring them the hope of Christ?
Would I leave behind comfort for the sake of the gospel?
Is my love for God stronger than my need for the simple life?
Patrick’s story stirs something in me—maybe a little discomfort, but mostly, a longing. A longing to live with that kind of faith. A longing to trust, truly trust, that wherever God calls, He goes with me.
I don’t know where God might be calling you today. Maybe it’s to step out in faith, to have a hard conversation, to forgive, to go, to stay, to simply say yes. But I do know this: the same God who was with Patrick on those cold, lonely hills, the same God who gave him the courage to return, is the same God who is with me today. That’s so powerful to me!
I want to remember a man who knew his life wasn’t his own—who trusted that God’s purpose was greater than his fear.
And I have to ask myself—am I living like that?
Am I letting fear hold me back from something God is calling me to?
Am I clinging to comfort instead of trusting His purpose?
Patrick’s story stirs something in me—a longing to step into the unknown, knowing that wherever God leads, He is already there. The words of Patrick’s prayer capture that calling and the mission I want for my life:
Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
and I pray that this will inspire you as well.
As always, I appreciate your thoughts and comments. Leave a note below and be sure to join the mailing list and stay in touch!
Current Bible Study/Podcast Series: “Joshua: Strong & Courageous” – January-April, 2025
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