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St. Patrick’s Day annually falls on March 17.

Communities worldwide gather for large events while decked out in green to commemorate Ireland’s patron saint and celebrate Irish culture.

We recognize the Irish-themed decorations every March, but what is St. Patrick’s Day really about? Pinches if you aren’t wearing green. Corned beef and cabbage and four-leaf clovers.

Most St. Patrick’s Day traditions are less about the person and more about celebrations of Irish American immigrants in the late 1700s.

St. Patrick was a real man who lived around A.D. 400, but the folklore we hear doesn’t tell the whole story. His life wasn’t about green beer or driving snakes from Ireland but about radical love and faith.

Moving past the modern traditions, we can see what really happened in St. Patrick’s life and why it matters to us today.

The fact that Ireland is an island—as well as green with leafy trees and grassy hills—means that the nation is sometimes called the Emerald Isle. But the color that people originally associated with St. Patrick was blue! Some ancient Irish flags even sport this color. Green was finally introduced to St. Patrick’s Day festivities in the 18th century, when the shamrock (which is, of course, green) became a national symbol. Because of the shamrock’s popularity and Ireland’s landscape, the color stuck to the holiday.

Green is also the color that mythical fairies called leprechauns like to dress in—today, at least. But tales about leprechauns date back to before green was in. The fairies were first described as wearing red.

Leprechauns are actually one reason you’re supposed to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day—or risk getting pinched! The tradition is tied to folklore that says wearing green makes you invisible to leprechauns, who like to pinch anyone they can see. Some people also think sporting the color will bring good luck, and others wear it to honor their Irish ancestry. The Chicago River in Illinois is even dyed green each year to celebrate the holiday.

However, there are some lessons that we can learn from the real St. Patrick.

When St. Patrick was 16, he was kidnapped by pirates and became a slave to Druids, a violent tribal cult in Ireland. Rather than fighting back, he learned to pray, and his faith grew, even while tending sheep in the rugged cold. One day, after six years of captivity in Ireland, he found a way off the island. St. Patrick boarded a ship and returned home.

Years later, after learning more about the Bible and becoming a leader in the church, St. Patrick revealed to the church that he chose to trust God every day instead of seeking revenge against his captor. In his writing, St. Patrick said that he heard God tell him to return to Ireland and tell people about Jesus—and he did.

Often, we too must go through risky, uncomfortable things, but like St. Patrick, we too can make it if we have strong faith.

History tells us that St. Patrick wasn’t born a Christian superhero who rose to fame and changed his country. He wasn’t even Irish. He grew up in a wealthy British family and had no interest in Christianity until he was older.

Some of our leaders in America could learn from St. Patrick’s faith.

No matter where you’re from or what you have or haven’t done, God can work through you to do some amazing things. It doesn’t take money, power or fame. God changes unlikely people into unexpected leaders. Who needs the luck of the Irish when we have a God who can use anybody to begin a movement that affects everybody?

Our leaders, not only in America but worldwide, could learn some lessons from St. Patrick.