Michael-Grams: M-G: 4.13.16 // Chariots of God, Part 1 of 2

Video: 2:43

The Los Angeles Times ran a full headline on June 24, 1924,

“Did You Know That Famous Scotch Sprinter Will Not Run In The Olympic 100 Metres Because The Trials Are Run On Sunday.”1

I haven’t read this article in the LA Times, but the headline almost comes across as mocking. Eric Liddell (Jan 16, 1902 – Feb 21, 1945) was a Scottish sprinter born in Tianjin, China who appeared to the world to effortlessly turn his back on king and country and certain fame by refusing to run in the preliminary heats for the 100 meters, in which he was favored to win because they were being held on Sunday. For Eric, this was the Lord’s Day (Rev 1:10), and he was committed to keeping the Christian Sabbath day for God, and not for work or recreation. It was said he had given up two other races taking place on Sunday where Great Britain had high hopes of winning gold in two relay events, the 4 x 100m and 4 x 400m.2

On the one hand, you can see the world criticizing Eric for not getting with the program and squandering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do something for God and country, to be open-minded to compromise for a rare win/win situation. On the other hand, you see a man of conviction whose heart was easily swayed for God and not for national or personal pride. I see Eric as a man admired, and dare I use the word, “resented” as well for squandering the opportunity to bring more golden glory for him and to Great Britain.

I like this quote that came from the movie, God’s Not Dead 2, “I would rather stand with God and be judged by the world than stand with the world and be judged by God.” This was the spiritual fabric of Eric Liddell, seeking eternal values over the temporal. He had resolved a long time ago to consecrate his life to Christ, and he was there for such a time as this, to glorify God to the world. Whether you agree with his decision or not, he was a man of principle, a rare thing today.

Eric was able to compete in the 400 meters (not yards) on Friday, July 10, 1924, at the VIII Summer Olympiad held in Paris. He not only struck gold; he set a new world record of 47.6 seconds! Glory to God!

Fifty-seven years later after his victory, the Oscar-winning film, Chariots of Fire, brought the world’s attention once again to Eric Liddell, thirty-six years after his death in a Japanese internment camp for foreigners during the Japanese occupation of China in 1945.

This may seem odd today by many of Eric refusing to run on Sunday since so many Christians today do not have an issue with forsaking the assembling with the saints at church on Sunday for any reason. One reason for this forsaking is believers are not looking for the return of Christ (Heb 10:25; cf. Rom 13:12) which also explains the lack of purity in the lives of so many (1 Jn 3:2-3). There simply is no fear of God in their lives. Another tree falls in the Christian forest when we quit looking for Jesus; in other words, our worldview has turned horizontal or worldly. Satan has spiritual deforestation on his mind all the time.

We see by Eric’s life just how far we have drifted from having such passionate convictions of keeping the Ten Commandments. In my mind, Eric had already won gold before ever arriving in Paris for he had decided months before the games not to run on Sunday in keeping with his commitment to the Lord (cf. 1 Cor 3:11-15; 2 Cor 5:10)!

Have you ever wanted something so badly that your one-consuming passion was to do whatever it took to accomplish your earthly ambition? We all know of people like that where God is nowhere in their thoughts or plans for the future. They have a pathway to worldly success, and God is not part of that equation. I was like that before coming to Christ. Sadly, I know of believers where Jesus is not even factored in reaching their personal goals, only if He fits into their plans. If you mention that you didn’t hear anything about God in their plans for the future, they end up thinking of you as self-righteous and judgmental. On the contrary, I think it is one of the most caring questions to be asked, “Where is God in all of your plans? How important is God’s will for your life?”

What about you? Would you pay whatever the price to reach the prize that the Apostle Paul passionately pursued, ultimate Christlikeness, “I press on toward the goal [Christlikeness] for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Php 3:14)? You might say, “Well, that’s good for Paul but not for me.” Really, have you ever read these verses: Php 3:17; 1 Cor 11:1; 1 Thes 1:6? They were written under inspiration; these were God-breathed words through Paul (2 Tim 3:16-17).

The first time I saw the movie, “Chariots of Fire,” it reminded me of something I did prior to Christ. The image of men running along the beach in that video above in preparation for the 1924 Olympics caused memories to come surging back of the endless miles running along the Silver Strand in California and all over the place during Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training. Running came easy for me; one of the candidates in my class used to refer to me as “running deer.” “Playing” in the chilly waters of the Pacific, however, wasn’t my cup of tea, or anybody’s, for that matter.

Cold water leveled the playing field, which played with your mind and enhanced discomfort the longer you stayed in it, particularly at night. All the instructors knew this having gone through the same program when they were candidates, and they effectively used the cold water to teach discipline, determination, and defiance against the elements or conditions to accomplish the mission as their instructors did to them. Naturally, it culled from the herd the weak and those that lacked the hunger and thirst to be a part of an elite force.

Our body can actually do more than our mind is telling us which is why there was a 95% attrition rate in BUD/S. The battle is in the mind, and a candidate would not be there if he was physically unable to meet the mental and physical challenges up ahead. I believe in listening to your body, but what controls the body is the mind. I lost track of the times I was cold and shaking like a leaf, but I never caught a cold or even a sniffle. You just learn to work through the discomfort by compartmentalizing it in the mind. When you start thinking about quitting, you are already gone; you just don’t know it yet. Now, I didn’t say that I ever got used to the discomfort! The Lord only knows how much I hate cold water!

Our metabolic rate was said to have been 3-4 times more than that of the average person. The healthiest I have ever been in my life was during my time in BUD/S. The relentless progression of demands upon the mind and body and the constant interaction with cold water during training separated those who thought they wanted the program from those who believed that quitting was not an option.

If you didn’t want to hurt and freeze your buns off, this training was not for those whose egos were writing checks their minds and bodies couldn’t cash. This is not a program where you macho your way through it or tested the waters of your manhood or checked off some insane bucket list. I never personally knew of any candidate having those mindsets that completed the training at BUD/S; they all ended up, as we used to say, like an arrow shot into a field of tall grasses, quickly disappearing from the scene.

The ones that succeeded were those who possessed a “do it or die” mentality; those who absolutely refused to ring the bell that was situated in the compound that announced to everyone when it was rung, “I am a quitter!” Instead, the overcomers ate, drank, and dreamt of nothing else but being in the Teams, ringing that bell was never an option. Graduates of BUD/S are a blend of intellectual (I was an exception) and muscular (I was an exception) prowess, highly motivated, daring, capable, and a bit on the crazy side (definitely me). The cold water alone was a big factor in separating the wannabes from the herd. To this day, I still hate cold water or getting a chill from being wet. It takes me back to BUD/S immediately regardless of the time! <><