The Race He Almost Didn't Run

When Eric Liddell arrived at the 1924 Paris Olympics, he was Scotland's fastest man — the heavy favorite in the 100 meters. Then he learned the heats were scheduled for a Sunday. Liddell, the son of missionaries, believed the Sabbath belonged to God. He withdrew from his best event.

The British Olympic Committee pressured him. The press mocked him. Fellow athletes questioned his judgment. A gold medal was practically waiting for him at the finish line, and he walked away from it.

Instead, Liddell entered the 400 meters — a race no one expected him to win. On the day of the final, a masseur slipped a note into his hand with a passage from 1 Samuel 2:30: "Those who honor Me, I will honor." Liddell ran the race of his life, crossing the finish line in a world-record 47.6 seconds.

What strikes me about Liddell is not the gold medal. It is the moment before — when obedience looked like foolishness. When honoring God meant disappointing everyone around him. He could not see the outcome. He only knew what the Almighty had asked of him.

Obedience rarely makes sense in the moment. It asks us to release what we can see for what God has promised. But here is what Liddell's life teaches us: the Lord does not waste a single act of faithfulness. Not one.