“But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” –Isaiah 40:31
Chariots of Fire won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1982. The film depicted the true story of Eric Liddell winning the gold medal in the 1924 Olympic Games.
In one scene the twenty-two-year-old Eric explains his passion for running to his disapproving sister, who thought running was a waste of time compared to entering missionary service in China.
Referring to God, He said, “When I run, I feel His pleasure.”
Liddell knew God had made him fast for a reason and the Olympics were his calling in 1924.
You too were made for a purpose; to feel God’s pleasure.
Here is the famous clip from the movie:
How would you complete these sentences:
“When I ___________________, I feel His pleasure.”
“I believe the Lord made me for a purpose. He made me to: ___________________.”
The rest of the story.
After winning the Gold Medal, the mission field in China and suffering for Jesus’ sake was Liddell’s next calling. His missionary service in China ended up in a POW camp in 1944 during WW2.
Winston Churchill negotiated his freedom from that camp but this famous prisoner of war gave up his freedom to allow a pregnant prisoner to be released.
Eric Liddell died a few months later at that camp. Chariots of Fire ends with these brief words about Eric’s life after the Olympics: “Eric Liddell, missionary, died in occupied China at the end of World War II. All of Scotland mourned.”
Everyone has a calling. What is yours?
Os Guiness has said of our callings, “Instead of, ‘You are what you do,’ calling says: ‘Do what you are.’”
Reflect once again on Eric Liddell’s inspirational statement:
“When I run, I feel God’s pleasure”, how would you fill in the blank?
“When I ____________, I feel God’s pleasure “.
Do you sense a calling on your life? Don’t run from it! Run to it!
Think and Pray: Ask God to reveal the gifts He has placed in you and how He wants you to use them for His glory. Pray for courage to pursue your calling wholeheartedly, so that in every step, you too may feel His pleasure. Lord, in the midst of my work, help me to live out the purpose You’ve given me as God’s creation—bringing You pleasure in how I lead, serve, and show integrity each day, in Jesus’ name, Amen!
Ray Sanders is recognized as a passionate CEO, executive coach, a leader of leaders, a white-board aficionado and an innovative growth strategist with a heart for purpose-driven cultures and values-based leadership development.
