Your Test is Your Test-imony!
by Omar Miranda
March 17 is widely known and celebrated by many people as “St. Patrick’s Day”. They celebrate it with Irish food and customs—and, for many, a lot of alcohol! But it might surprise you to know that St. Patrick’s Day is more than a time to eat stuff stuffed with green food coloring and celebrating all things “Irish!” Patrick was an amazing young man, who, as a teenager, had something traumatic happen to him. But, he didn’t allow that to keep him from using his life to be a blessing to many.
Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is one of Christianity’s most widely known figures. But for all of his prevalence in culture—namely the holiday held on the March 17 (the day of his death) that bears his name—his life remains somewhat of a mystery.
Many of the stories traditionally associated with Patrick, including the famous account of his banishing all the snakes from Ireland, are not true, and basically, the products of hundreds of years of exaggerated storytelling—maybe by many of those same people who have been drinking to celebrate Patrick himself.
Patrick was born in Roman ruled Britain—not Ireland—to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century. He is believed to have died on March 17, around 460 A.D.
At the age of 16, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family’s estate. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity.
During this time, he worked as a shepherd, outdoors and away from people. Lonely and afraid, he turned to his religion for solace, becoming a devout Christian. Patrick took Jesus’ command seriously: “ ‘Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you’ ” (Matthew 28:19, 20a, NLT). And during his captivity, he first began to dream of converting the Irish people to Christianity.
After more than six years as a prisoner, Patrick escaped. To make a long story short: he ended up becoming a priest and felt that God was calling him to return back to Ireland, where he ministered for the rest of his life. I’ve heard it said that God will take your test and turn it into your test-imony!
The Apostle Paul, writing to the Christians in Corith, reminded them that God will never waste any negative thing that they’ve experienced. Patrick certainly used the negative experiences of being held captive in Ireland as the thing that catapulted him to minister to the very people who took him captive! Paul reminds us: “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us” (2 Corinthians 1:3, 4, NLT).
I am a recovering sex, porn, and food addict, and although I’m not particularly proud of this fact; the fact is: this is my story. Although I’ve made my share of poor choices and, still to this day, am dealing with consequences of that addiction, God has allowed me incredible opportunities to be able to share my story (https://omarmiranda4.wixsite.com/mirandawrites) with others who would likely have never been open to hearing about Jesus from anyone else.
So, on March 17, make sure that you place your focus rightly, not on partying with friends and family—by the way, there’s nothing wrong with a party--but, like Patrick, place your focus on finding a creative and bold way of sharing the Gospel with others.
Happy “Patrick’s Day!”
