23 Jul The Olympic games

The games of the XXXIII Olympic Summer Games are being held in Paris. Athletes from all over the world will gather and do their best to represent their country in the spirit of competition.

In 1924, also in the Paris Olympic games, Scottish runner Eric Liddell set a new world record of 47.6 seconds in the 400 meters. His performance left many fans and competitors in awe. The only reason he ran in this race was that his best event, the 100 meters, would happen on Sunday. Liddell had withdrawn from the 100 meters because he would not race on Sunday.

There are going to be references to Liddell upon the centennial anniversary of his iconic accomplishment. In the recent edition of Christianity Today, Paul Putz wrote about Liddell’s legacy for Christian athletes a century after his iconic Olympic victory.

“Liddell did not take aim at fellow Christian athletes for their willingness to compete on Sunday. He simply made his decision and accepted the consequences: Gold in the 100 meters was not an option.”

“If this were the end of the story, Liddell’s example would be an inspiring model of faithfulness–and also a forgotten footnote in history. There is no ‘Chariots of Fire’ (the 1982 movie about his life) without his triumph in the 400 meters.”

Some Christian athletes at the 2024 Paris games will know about Liddell, and some will not. But “to the extent that they consciously and intentionally strive after Jesus in the midst of their sports–to the extent that they seek to find the meaning of their experience bound up with the bigger story of God’s work in the world–they’ll be following in Liddell’s footsteps.”

The Apostle Paul lived during the Isthmian games (similar to the Olympics) held near Corinth. He used sports as a metaphor for Christian living: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever” (I Cor. 9.24-25).

Summer is wrapping up and school is back in session. Let’s be in prayer for our teachers, students, and administrators this upcoming school year.

Let’s also “keep on running” the race by practicing the spiritual disciplines of prayer, worship, giving, service, and living the Jesus way–DC