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. When the Olympics returned to Paris in 2024, they did so exactly 100 years after one of my favorite Olympic stories took place there.
That story was recounted in the 1981 Oscar-winning movie Chariots of Fire. The movie largely focuses on 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 him facing discrimination and running largely for his own glory. History tells us that neither portrayal was probably completely accurate. But the story of Liddell, as told in the movie, was largely true.
Eric Liddell was Scottish, and because of his fame as a runner, he drew large crowds when he spoke about the Gospel. Liddell had two great passions—Jesus Christ and running—and the first passion easily outdistanced the second.
He and Abrahams were among Great Britain’s best sprinters, and both were favorites to win medals in the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris. Liddell competed at several distances, including the 200 and 400 meters, but his specialty was the 100 meters. He had run the 100-yard dash in 9.7 seconds, tying the British record.
But when Liddell saw the Olympic schedule, he learned that the heats for the 100 meters would be held on a Sunday. It may be hard for us to understand today, but Liddell strongly believed it would be wrong for him to compete on that day. He took seriously his conviction that Sunday was to be set apart for worship and rest, and he wasn’t going to violate that belief for an Olympic medal.
The movie shows Liddell learning the news shortly before the Olympics, but he actually knew about the schedule months ahead of time. That gave him time to concentrate more fully on the 400 meters, a distance that was much longer than his specialty.
Liddell won a bronze medal in the 200 meters and then advanced to the final of the 400. There, he stunned the field by winning the gold medal in 47.6 seconds, setting both an Olympic and world record.
Before the final, Liddell was handed a handwritten note. In the movie, it came from American sprinter Jackson Scholz. In reality, it came from a member of the British team’s staff. The note quoted 1 Samuel 2:30:
“In the old book it says: ‘He that honours me I will honour.’ Wishing you the best of success always.”
Liddell had honored God through the decision he made, regardless of whether it cost him an Olympic medal. On that day, his faithfulness was followed by Olympic gold.
There is a wonderful scene in the movie in which Liddell talks to his sister about why he runs. She questions whether his athletic career is distracting him from his calling as a missionary in China. 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.”
After returning to Great Britain following the Olympics, Liddell said, “It has been a wonderful experience to compete in the Olympic Games and to bring home a gold medal. 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. He returned there as a missionary, remained through war and occupation and eventually died in a Japanese internment camp in 1945.
In the Olympics, Liddell fulfilled one of his purposes by crossing the finish line first. But in life, he fulfilled his greater purpose by being obedient to the Lord’s call and placing himself wherever God wanted him to be.
You may not be fast. I know I’m not. But when we live out the Lord’s calling and purpose for our lives, we can know the joy expressed in that famous movie line: We can feel His pleasure.
If you haven’t yet discovered the Lord’s calling or purpose for your life, ask Him today to give you wisdom and reveal it to you. But if you have discovered His call—whatever it may be—thank the Lord for placing you where He wants you to be.
Run His race today, and every day, to win for Him. As you faithfully follow the steps He establishes, know that your life brings pleasure to the One who made you for His purpose.
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Reflection copyright © 2026 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.
