Read
The heart of man plans his way,
but the Lord establishes his steps.
Proverbs 16:9
Reflect
Every four years I look forward to the start of the Summer Olympics. (No offense to the Winter Olympics, but I’ve always preferred the Summer games.) We’re two years away from the 2024 Summer Olympics, which will take place in Paris. That’s the same location where one of my favorite Olympic stories took place in 1924.
One of my favorite Olympic stories was recounted in an Oscar-winning movie in 1981 — Chariots of Fire. The movie largely focuses on the lives of two athletes from Great Britain — Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell — who were among the finest sprinters of their time. Abrahams was Jewish, and the film shows that he was a victim of discrimination and that he ran largely for self-glory. History tells us that neither of those is probably completely true. But the story of Liddell, as told in the movie, largely is true.
Eric Liddell was actually Scottish, and because of his fame as a runner, he drew large crowds when he spoke about the Gospel. Indeed, Liddell had two passions — Jesus Christ and running, and the first passion easily outdistanced the second one.
He and Abrahams were Great Britain’s best sprinters, and the two were easily among the favorites to win gold in the 1924 Olympic Games, which were held in Paris. Liddell ran at several distances, including 200 and 400 meters, but his specialty was 100 meters. He ran the 100-yard dash in 9.7 seconds, which was a British record. But when he saw the schedule for the heats for the Olympic heats, he noticed that he would have to run on a Sunday. It’s hard for us to imagine today, but Liddell strongly believed that it was wrong for him to do that. He took very seriously that the Sabbath was holy, and he wasn’t going to do anything to violate that belief. (Of course, we know that the Sabbath was originally Saturday, but that it’s really the point. For Liddell, his Sabbath was Sunday, and that’s that.)
The movie shows that Liddell discovered this news only just before the Olympics, but he actually learned about the heat months ahead of time. So he quickly made the decision to not run in his preferred race and instead switch to the much longer 400-meter race. His personal best at that distance was 49.6 seconds, but that wouldn’t even be good enough to even qualify for the Olympic final in 1924. After training for only a few months, Liddell’s speed became world-class. He not only qualified for the gold medal final — he won it with a time of 47.6 seconds, which was the second-fastest ever run, and which stood as an Olympic record until 1932.
Just before the final race, Liddell was handed a handwritten note. (In the movie, it was from fellow sprinter Jackson Sholz from the United States; in reality, it was from a British team masseur.) The note quoted 1 Samuel 2:30 and read, “In the old book it says: ‘He that honours me I will honour.’ Wishing you the best of success always.” Liddell did honor God in all that he did, his efforts on that day were rewarded with Olympic gold.
There’s a wonderful scene in the movie where Liddell is talking to his sister about the reason he runs. She questions his commitment to missionary work in China, to which he replies, ““I believe God made me for a purpose, for China; but he also made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure.” Upon his return to Great Britain after the Olympics, he said, “It has been a wonderful experience to compete in the Olympic Games and to bring home a gold medal,’ he said later. ‘But since I have been a young lad, I have had my eyes on a different prize. You see, each one of us is in a greater race than any I have run in Paris, and this race ends when God gives out the medals.”
For Liddell, China was the ultimate destination, and it’s where he died in a Japanese internment camp in 1945. In the Olympics, he fulfilled one of his purposes by crossing the finish line in first place. But in life, he fulfilled his purpose by being obedient to the Lord’s call and by being exactly where God wanted him to be. You may not be fast — I know I’m not. But when we are living out the Lord’s call and purpose for our life, we can be assured that can feel His pleasure with us.
If you haven’t yet found the Lord’s calling or purpose for your life, ask Him today to give you wisdom and to reveal it to you. But if you have discovered the Lord’s call, whatever it is, thank the Lord for placing you where He wants you to be. Run His race today (and every day) to win for Him, and know that as you do, you will feel His pleasure.
Reflection copyright © 2022 Doug DeBolt.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
