More Than What You Do

In the summer of 1924, Scottish sprinter Eric Liddell arrived at the Paris Olympics as the favorite in the 100 meters. Then he learned the heats were scheduled on a Sunday. Liddell, the son of missionaries, withdrew from his best event. The British press savaged him. Critics called him a traitor, a fool, a man throwing away his moment.

But Liddell understood something most people spend a lifetime trying to learn: he was not defined by what he could do on a track. His identity was not "fastest man in Scotland." His identity was a child of the Living God. And no gold medal could add to that, and no withdrawal could diminish it.

He entered the 400 meters instead — an event he had barely trained for — and won gold in a world-record time of 47.6 seconds. A teammate had slipped a note into his hand before the race. It read: "He that honors Me, I will honor." A promise straight from the mouth of the Almighty in 1 Samuel 2:30.

Here is what the world will always get wrong about you: it will try to make your identity something you earn. Your job title, your performance review, your stats, your salary. But the God who knit you together does not love a version of you that performs well. He loves you. Period.

You are not what you do. You are whose you are.