Run To Get The Prize
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” 1 Corinthians 9:24
Eric Liddell was born on January 16, 1902 in Tientsin, North China. He was the second son of the Reverend and Mrs. James Liddell who were missionaries with the London Mission Society.
From 1908 to 1920, he received his education from Eltham College in Scotland.
Eric was the central character in the movie “Chariots of Fire.”
In 1924, he was selected to represent Britain at the Olympic Games in Paris. He refused to run in the 100-meter race because it was scheduled for a Sunday. He ended up winning the gold medal in the 400-meter race.
After the Olympics, a dinner celebration was held in his honor in Edinburgh. Dr. Norman Maclean, who attended the dinner, relates what Eric said, “He made us quickly realize that running was not to be his career. He was training to be a missionary in China, and he was to devote all his spare time until he set forth for the East in evangelistic work among the young men in Scotland.”
Eric Liddell spent one year in Scotland following the Olympics evangelizing young people. In 1925, he left for China to minister there for the rest of his life.
During World War II, Eric was captured by the Japanese and interred at Weihsen Internment Camp.
According to a number of eyewitness accounts, Eric was a tower of strength in the camp, “overflowing with good humor and love for life.” He was especially committed to the young people and even gave his famous Olympic running shoes to a young lad without foot-ware.
Eric’s Christian faith burned most brightly when he instructed his fellow-prisoners not to hate the Japanese but to forgive and pray for them.
In 1945, Eric died of a brain tumor brought on by exhaustion and malnutrition.
In 2008, Chinese TV networks produced documentaries of his life, especially at Olympic time.
A 24-hour movie channel in China purchased the rights to “Chariots of Fire” in 1990 and has shown it repeatedly to as many as 850 million people with each airing drowning the station in replies and e-mails.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” – Hebrews 12:1