by God's Little Boy
© MakeshiftDarkroom.com 2026
Posted 4/25/26
The incomparable Twila Paris (christian singer and song writer) wrote a song many years ago entitled, “He is no fool” inspired by Jim Elliot’s famous journal entry, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot loose.” There is a verse in Twila’s song that seems to reference Scottish athlete Eric Liddell that goes like this, “There once was a boy who could run like the wind, given to lead, every man was his friend at the line. But light from the cross made his race appear small and to their amazement he followed the call. For the love of his Savior, for one priceless jewel, they could not understand, so they called him a fool…”
Eric Liddell was born in China to missionary parents. He had a talent and love for athletics. He was a rugby player and sprinter who competed in track and field contests including the 1924 Paris Olympics during which he won a gold medal for Great Britain in the 400 meter race. He had refused to run in the heats for his favored 100 meter race because the heats were held on Sunday, which day he believed belonged to God and not running. As a result the world witnessed his conviction and devotion to his Lord Jesus Christ. He loved running, but his running was 2nd place to his Lord.
Liddell had been called to be a missionary in China, a calling which he determined to follow, but he also believed that God had made him fast and he felt that God had given him the desire and the liberty to run to the glory of God. This is evidenced in his most well known quote, “I believe God made me for a purpose - but he also made me fast. And when I run, I feel his pleasure.” He also said, “purity does not mean crushing the instinct but having the instincts as servant and not the master of the spirit.” And, “We are all missionaries. Wherever we go we either bring people nearer to Christ or we repel them from Christ.”
And so, Liddell ran, and won, but not to the exclusion of winning Christ. He ran in both races. He ran first in the race which was set before him to win the prize which is Christ, and then he also ran in the race wherein he felt God’s pleasure. He was a christian first, and then a runner also. Yet consider all of the ambition, the drive, the determination, the hard work and training? A man does not get to the Olympics unless many determined steps are taken in that direction. Where does this desire come from? It comes from God and is realized from within. It is like a well of water springing up inside. It is an inspiring and enabling fountain of life that carries us into the great thing undertaken, without which influence the thing attempted would never be realized.
If running had been denied and removed from Eric Liddell’s story how many of us would even know who he was? Would his earthly impact have been as great as it was? Would a film maker had made a movie about his life - publishing his legacy around the world for generations to come? Would the glory of God had shinned as brightly through his life to a watching world? The answer to all these questions is a resounding, No. Be aware and take note of and put to good use the thing that is in your hand, for it is most likely that it is God himself who has put it there. God called attention to the staff that was in the hand of Moses, (what is that in your hand?) as something common or earthly– something lower that could be used for God’s higher glory. Eric Liddell used his race for the glory of God. His God given talent was not something that was found in his hand, but rather something that God had put in his feet. God was in his race. It was God who put the desire in him that would ultimately bring him to the 1924 Olympic games and into the predetermined place where in a decisive moment he would choose to break with convention and honor God over country before the watching world.
Competitive running, where the victor wins by mere fractions of a second, in and of itself could be considered a vain thing, but not when God is in it. Passionate pursuits are a gift from God to be freely enjoyed in their proper place under the Lordship of Christ. Under such Lordship they will have a purpose and a sweetness that far exceeds any experience that any secular existence could possibly offer. In this, the life of the christian surpasses that of those who are of the world– who live outside of God, in the vanity that left Solomon empty. Without God, all is vanity, and futility, but with God, we find great and eternal purpose and beauty in all things, forever. 
“In the dust of defeat as well as the laurels of victory there is a glory to be found if one has done his best.” - Eric Liddell
Back to Snapshots
Doctrinal Statement
A Safe Light in a Dark World. |
