The Gold Medal He Left Behind

In 1924, Scottish sprinter Eric Liddell arrived at the Paris Olympics as the fastest man in Britain. He was favored to win the 100-meter dash. Then he learned the heats were scheduled for a Sunday.

Liddell wouldn't run. Not because he couldn't — because he believed the Lord's Day belonged to God, not to glory. The British Olympic Committee pressured him. The press called him a fool. He wouldn't budge.

Instead, he entered the 400 meters — an event he'd barely trained for — and stunned the world by winning gold and setting an Olympic record. But here's what Chariots of Fire doesn't show you. After the fame, Liddell returned to China as a missionary. When the Japanese invaded, he was interned in a prison camp at Weifang. There, he gave away his few possessions, organized games for children, and tutored struggling teenagers. He died in that camp in February 1945 at the age of forty-three, five months before liberation.

Liddell sacrificed a race for his convictions. Then he sacrificed his fame. Then he sacrificed his comfort. And finally, he gave his very life in service to others.

The Apostle Paul wrote, "I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord" (Philippians 3:8). Eric Liddell lived those words — one surrender at a time.

What are you holding onto that the Almighty is asking you to lay down?