WHERE DOES THE POWER COME FROM?

One of my favourite films of all time, Chariots of Fire, is based on the true story of two athletes who took part in the 1924 Olympic Games and won gold medals. Eric Liddell was a devout Scottish Christian missionary who ran for the glory of God, whereas Harold Abrahams was an English Jew who ran to prove himself because of the prejudice he felt he had encountered in his life.

Both these men achieved the same goal. Both of them won gold medals and were crowned the fastest in the world in their particular category – Harold in the 100m race and Eric in the 400m. But that is where the similarity ends, because whereas Harold ran with intense drive and aggression, Eric seemed to run with an effortless joy.

One of my favourite scenes in the film is where Eric Liddell is running the 400m in an international athletics competition and is tripped up by another competitor, sending him sprawling to the ground. Instead of giving up, Eric immediately scrambles to his feet and continues running. He makes up an astounding 20-metre deficit, passing all his competitors one by one (including the man who tripped him up) to win the race.

The most notable part of that scene, in my humble opinion, is the look of utter exhilaration on his face as he is running. In another scene, Eric, trying to explain his passion for running to his sister, says, “I believe God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure”. Running was not just something Eric did; it was an extension of who he was. He knew that it was God who made him strong, and he didn’t have to prove his worth to anyone.

When preaching at a church in Paris during those 1924 Olympics, Eric says, “Everyone runs in her own way, or his own way. And where does the power come from to see the race to its end? From within.” He had tapped into the very source of the power that enabled him to run – his relationship with a living, loving God - and that’s why he was able to run with such joy and such excellence.

Harold was as fast a runner as Eric, but, instead of running with the joy that characterised Eric’s success, he ran with intense aggression and almost anger. In a scene just before Harold runs his Olympic race, he tells his friend Aubrey, “You’re brave, compassionate, kind; a contented man. That is your secret, contentment. I am 24 and I’ve never known it. I’m forever in pursuit, and I don’t even know what I am chasing.” 

In the same scene, Harold says, “And now in one hour’s time, I will be out there again. I will raise my eyes and look down that corridor, 4 feet wide, with 10 lonely seconds to justify my whole existence. But will I?” This is such a powerful picture of the curse of comparison. Harold consistently compared himself with those around him. He didn’t know who he truly was, only what he was pursuing. His success as a runner had become his identity, and his running was driven by the need to prove his worth, not only to the people who he felt had been prejudiced against him but also, I believe, to himself.

Please don’t think I mean to demean Harold in any way, because that is not my intention. Both Harold and Eric are, in my opinion, remarkable men who achieved so much, and I have great respect and admiration for both of them for what they achieved and the obstacles they overcame. Both men achieved the same goal, and both of their names have gone down in the sports annals of history.

But, concealed in this story, there is a moral that is both powerful and somewhat unnerving. We can run our life marathon like Harold did, striving to win the approval of man and make our mark on the world, or we can run like Eric did, with a joy and peace that overflows from our personal relationship with the Lord.

The choice is ours.

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Until next time ….

In the context of the two athletes described in this blog, who do you feel you can relate to more: Harold or Eric?

Are you ‘running your race’ with joy, or do you feel as if you are striving?

Are you living your life under a self-inflicted pressure to prove yourself to others, or even to yourself?

If your life is full of striving, let go of the need to prove yourself.

Ask Jesus to give you His joy, and intentionally receive that joy, thanking Him for it.