“Those who honor me I will honor…” — 1 Samuel 2:30b
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The year 2024 marks a very important anniversary in the history of sports as well as Christian missions. This summer makes it 100 years since Scottish runner Eric Liddell competed in the 1924 Summer Olympics, which were held in Paris, the same city hosting the 2024 Summer Olympics. Liddell was an unconventional yet exceptional athletic talent who excelled in both rugby and track, although his success in running was perhaps more widely celebrated. Many people didn’t know about Liddell’s story until the 1981 movie “Chariots of Fire.” Other dramatized versions of it have followed, including the 2007 film series “The Torchlighters,” the 2012 play “Chariots of Fire” (which was based on the movie), and the 2016 film “On Wings of Eagles.”
Even though Liddell’s success was incredible and he truly had a tremendous athletic gift, what he is best remembered for isn’t his Olympic gold in the 400-meter race or his bronze in the 200m. It’s the stand he took for his Christian faith. The 100m was, by far, his strongest event and many expected him to grab gold in that race at those 1924 Olympics. But when he heard that the race was going to be held on a Sunday, he dropped out and instead trained for the other two. God’s day was holy, and he wasn’t going to dishonor his Lord and Savior by putting sports before worship. And, as if that stand wasn’t enough, he walked away from competition the following year to return to China, where he’d been born to missionary parents, and dedicate himself to missions full time.
At the time, I don’t think Eric was making choices out of an intent that he be immortalized for them. He was simply doing the next right thing and obeying his conscience and convictions. But the fact that we are still talking about him 100 years later and the stand he took shows that his message is still very relevant today. We all still face temptations that try to get us to put our own achievement and fame ahead of God’s glory. We all deal with decisions that mean we sometimes have to walk away from things we love, or make life-moves that don’t seem to make much sense from a human perspective.
Yet, Liddell’s testimony points to a deeper lesson that drove everything he ever did, including competing. He always said that when he ran, he could “feel God’s pleasure.” The favor of his Savior was always the most important thing to him. However he could honor God was of his utmost concern, highlighting a scripture that seemed to be at the heart of his desire: God honors those who honor Him (1 Samuel 2:30).
When we put the glory of God first in our lives, God blesses. That doesn’t always mean things go smoothly for us or that we always get what we want. After all, Liddell died as a relatively young man in his 40s while held hostage in a Chinese concentration camp. But the sacrifice of his athletic gift was a small price to pay for his participation in the advancement of the work and Gospel of Jesus around the world.
And so, 100 years later, we remember Eric and his courage. And hopefully we also dedicate ourselves to the same ambition of putting God first, even if it comes at a great cost.
— Katherine Singer
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