“Those Who Honor Me, I Will Honor” -- Tim Phillips
The Olympic games ended this past weekend. Even though I watched very little of the actual events, these were memorable games for a variety of reasons. First, they had been postponed for a year because of COVID-19 concerns (and there were still concerns because of new outbreaks of the virus that almost threatened to cancel the games). A gifted athlete decided to step down during one of the competitions, possibly costing her team the gold medal (although I did learn a new word in the process: "twisties"). And these games were marred by various political protests (not the first time that has happened -- I'm not old enough to remember the 1968 or 1972 Olympics, but I well remember 1980 and 1984). The Olympics are often memorable not only for the athletic competition, but also the drama when that many nations from around the world gather for such an event.
A few years ago, my oldest daughter and I watched a short cartoon in the Torchlighters series about a great hero of the Christian faith. Eric Liddell (pronounced "little") was born in China to Scottish missionaries and became a great athlete in the early 20th century (he ran so fast that he earned the nickname, “The Flying Scotsman”). He was selected to compete in the 100-meter race (his best event) in the 1924 Olympics, but he refused to participate because it would have required him to run on a Sunday. He later agreed to compete in the 400-meter race (which was run on a different day of the week), winning a gold medal in the event, and also setting a world record in the process. He also competed in the 200-meter race, winning a bronze medal. Eric Liddell’s story is depicted in the 1981 award-winning film Chariots of Fire.
Was Eric Liddell right for refusing to race on a Sunday? Considering that he was Scottish (I am not certain whether he was actually Presbyterian), that should come as no surprise, as he would have had a high view of the Christian Sabbath, or Lord’s Day. For Eric Liddell, honoring God was more important than running in a race, even if that race was the most important race in the world. There is, of course, an important lesson in that for us in a day and a culture that places little emphasis on Sunday and the importance of worship. For too many, Sunday has become a "second Saturday" -- just another day of the weekend. Instead of resisting this kind of worldly perspective, the modern church has become conformed to the thinking of the world in this area (cf. Romans 12:1-2). Honoring God is to be our priority, not what the world would consider to be most important.
But there are other aspects of Eric Liddell’s life that you may not know. One is the anger that was directed at him when it was announced that he refused to race in the Olympics on a Sunday (far too reminiscent of the scorn American gymnast Simone Biles recently endured). He was called a traitor to his country. The British newspapers denounced him. Yet, he still considered it best to honor God (today, he is considered to be one of Scotland’s greatest athletes and a national hero). One unusual aspect about Liddell was his running style. He would run with his head thrown back and mouth wide open, which was often ridiculed by others (his running style was described as “ugly” and was sometimes laughed at by fellow runners). Another interesting story is that on the day he won the 400 meters, he was handed a folded piece of paper prior to the race. On it were written words from 1 Samuel 2:30 – “Those who honor Me, I will honor.” Liddell would later say that he was profoundly moved when he read the note, as he was unaware that anyone other than his coach supported his decision not to race on Sunday.
A year after the Olympics were over, Eric Liddell returned to China, where he served as a missionary like his parents. He was born in China, and China would be the place where he would die. In 1943, during the height of World War II, Eric Liddell was placed in an internment camp by the Japanese (who had invaded China and were occupying the country at that time). He died of an inoperable brain tumor in that camp in 1945, five months before the camp was liberated. Today, his grave is marked by a headstone with words from Isaiah 40:31 – “They shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary.”
Very few people are gifted to be Olympic athletes. Not many are called to be missionaries. But all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are called to honor Him. Sometimes that means enduring the ridicule of others. It may even mean being considered a “traitor” by the world around us. It certainly means we must put the things of God before the thinks the world considers most important. To honor God is more important than what others may think of us. To know Jesus Christ is better than all the fame or riches that the world may offer. Therefore, let us honor Him above all else.