The Runner Who Felt God's Pleasure

In the 1924 Paris Olympics, Scottish sprinter Eric Liddell faced a decision that baffled the sporting world. His best event, the 100 meters, was scheduled on a Sunday — and Liddell, a devout Christian, refused to run. The British Olympic Committee pressured him. The press called him a fool. He had trained his entire life for this moment, and he was walking away from it.

But Liddell wasn't walking away from purpose. He was walking toward it.

He switched to the 400 meters — an event he had barely trained for — and won gold, setting a new Olympic record of 47.6 seconds. After the Games, Liddell left competitive running altogether and went to China as a missionary, where he served until his death in a Japanese internment camp in 1945.

When asked why he would trade athletic glory for a mission field, Liddell gave an answer that has echoed through the decades: "God made me for a purpose — for China. But He also made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure."

Liddell understood something many of us spend a lifetime learning: our talents are not our purpose. They are tools in the hands of the One who gave them. The Almighty doesn't ask us to be famous. He asks us to be faithful — to use what He has given us in the place where He has called us.

Your gifts will make sense when you surrender them to the Giver.