But Jesus was
saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke
23:34 NASB).
Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was a man
who lived Jesus’ words, “Father, forgive them.”
Through his forgiving heart, he found his destiny and changed a nation.
Patrick was actually not from Ireland; he was born in
Britain. As a teenager he was taken
captive by a marauding band of druids and taken to Ireland. Druids were a people who practiced sorcery
and human sacrifice and were know for their cruelty. Patrick lived enslaved among this people
where he was provided with little food or clothing, but he continually prayed
to his God. After six years, he escaped
and returned to Britain and then traveled to France to study for the
ministry. Sometime later, in a vision by
night, Patrick saw a man carrying letters for him. The letters are entitled, The Voice of the Irish. As he started to read them he imagined he
heard the people who had enslaved him, as with one voice, call out, “We appeal
to you, holy servant boy, to come and walk among us.“ Patrick responded to the call and the rest is
history.
We can learn two things from the life of St.
Patrick. First, God often uses adversity
to bring us to himself. It was in the
time of his captivity that he fervently sought his God. Second, frequently it is forgiveness that is
the pathway to our destiny. Saint
Patrick once said, “If I be worthy, I live for my God to teach the heathen,
even though they may despise me.” If St.
Patrick would not have been willing to return good for evil, he would not have
fulfilled his destiny and Ireland would have remained unchanged. Will it be any different for you and I.
Without forgiveness we will never traverse the rocky cliffs of man’s
imperfections. It is necessary to change
our hearts and also the catalyst to change the world.
Ken
Barnes, the author of “The Chicken Farm and Other Sacred Places” YWAM Publishing
Email: kenbarnes737@gmail.com
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