Irish Eyes be Smilin

   
  Oh, my favorite day is tomorrow. I am so excited! I'll be waring green from my head, to my toenails with green shamrocks on them. Oh yeah! I was recently asked. "Do you like St. Patty's Day because of the green beer?" I said, "I love this holiday because a whole nation was told of the gospel of Christ, that had not previously known. Without St. Patrick, my ancestors may not know about the one true God, and that Jesus died a horrible death to save them from their many sins."
    You may remember from last years blog, that St. Patrick was not born in Ireland. He was stolen from his parents estate in England and enslaved by Norsemen taking him to Ireland. Later escaping, he went back to England, where he entered a Catholic Monastery. Afterwards, God told him to go back to Ireland to share the Gospel with the people who had previously enslaved him. That's a pretty tough demand from God. How many of us would do that?
    So for me, this is a less stressful holiday that embodies an awesome gift from God, through St. Patrick. A gift given to the people of my ancestral heritage, who were previously unaware of God's love. Yes, it's a brutal heritage. All one needs to do, is watch the history channel or the movies made about Norsemen who went Viking to understand this. That only makes this story more amazing. A Holy God had compassion on the barbarians of Ireland. Oh, a very proud Irish lass I be.
    I enjoy the festivities of the day. The music, parades, beverages, food, river dancing and the waring of the green. However, if the focus is the festivities alone, then the whole point of the day is lost. So, here's to a loving God, that sent Saint Patrick back to a barbarian nation to share the gospel of Christ to a Godless nation. My Irish eyes be smilin.