Today I learned about the life of Eric Liddel. He was an Olympic runner in 1924. He was also a Christian missionary. One of the interesting parts of his story is that he wouldn’t run in the Olympic qualifying heats on a Sunday because he wanted to honor the Sabbath. I really respect that about him because he stayed faithful to his believes. To do otherwise would have been a sin, not because it would have been breaking a commandment, but because he wouldn’t have been true to himself and what was in his heart. He shows that remaining true to yourself isn’t always the easiest thing to do, but it is the right thing to do.
The other part of his story that really impressed me is how he dedicated himself to running. He didn’t do it for his own glory and fame. He recognized that he had a talent and that exercising the talent that God had given him brought pleasure to God. In other words, his story shows that it really doesn’t matter what we try to do in our lives, it doesn’t matter if we succeed or fail. What does matter is that we live our lives out of faith so that everything we try to do glorifies God and spreads His love into the world. I realize that in all my endeavors I should ask myself two questions. First, am I being true to myself? Second, am I doing this out of my faith for God?
My faith saved me. May God’s peace reside in all of our hearts.
