Running Free on a Torn Hamstring

In the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, British sprinter Derek Redmond lined up for the 400-meter semifinal. He had trained for years, endured twenty-two surgeries, and finally made it to the biggest stage in the world. When the gun fired, he exploded out of the blocks — until halfway around the bend, his right hamstring snapped. He crumpled to the track.

What happened next became one of the most replayed moments in Olympic history. Redmond pulled himself up and began hobbling toward the finish line, tears streaming down his face. Then a large man pushed past security and stepped onto the track. It was Jim Redmond — Derek's father. He wrapped his arm around his son's waist, and together they walked to the finish line. "You don't have to do this," Jim whispered. Derek answered, "Yes, I did." His father said, "Then we're going to finish this together."

Derek Redmond didn't win a medal that day. But he crossed the finish line — not under his own power, but held up by someone who loved him.

That is the freedom the Apostle Paul describes when he writes, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free." Real freedom isn't running without struggle. It is knowing that when your strength gives out, your Father steps onto the track. You are not carried because you are strong. You are carried because you are His.

You don't finish alone. You never did.