Uncle Eric
“God made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure” -Eric Liddell-
With the 2026 Winter Olympics coming to a close Sunday, I find myself not only disinterested but also a little disgusted at the level of narcissism and whining coming from some young athletes. Whether it’s the U.S. ski team popping off about how uncomfortable they are representing America, or that guy from Norway crying to the entire world about getting dumped by his girlfriend of five minutes. Hey pal your public outpouring of regret and lamentation, if meant for anyone is meant for your priest, not the whole globe. While there are still a few exceptions to the whining athletes club, there was a time when the whiners were the exception and not the rule.
Even though I never thought of watching the current Olympics, it’s nonetheless impossible to avoid these stories, they just keep showing up in my feed. I think the last Olympics I cared about was the Winter games of 1980, the Miracle On Ice. I remember everyone at work being excited to cheer on team USA. All of America, not just hockey fans, got into that game. Back then America was more united and the Olympics, rather than dividing us, magnified our cohesiveness.
Going back in history to the 1924 summer games in Paris, and legendary Scottish runner Eric Liddell representing Great Britain, is favored to take gold in the 100 meter race. The 100 meter is his strongest event but because the qualifying heat is to be held on Sunday his Sabbath, he does not run and therefore does not qualify. This doesn’t go over well with some of his teammates, countrymen and the media, but Eric Liddell is first and foremost a devout Christian, and secondly an olympic runner.
An Ending Made For Hollywood
In 1924 Liddell is also entered in the 400-meter race, an event he is not as strong in. To make matters worse he is stuck in the outside lane, considered the weakest position. His stunning gold medal finish and world record time instantly catapults him from Olympic villain to Olympic hero in the public eye. Later his story will become the subject of a 1981 movie, Chariots Of Fire.
In the months following the Paris games Eric continues to compete, his future as an athlete looks bright and financially profitable. But on June 29th of 1925 Eric will leave behind his chance for future medals, not to mention fame and fortune, in order to fulfill his true calling as a missionary. Erics’ parents had been Christian missionaries serving in China when he was born in 1902. Now he will return to the country of his birth and likewise serve.
Uncle Eric
On his first furlough back to Scotland, having finished his training, Eric becomes an ordained minister. Upon returning to China he marries Florence MacKenzie, a nurse from Canada. The two had a pair of daughters, and Florence is pregnant with a third when Eric sends them all back to Canada. Tensions between China and Japan are escalating ahead of World War II and Eric wants his family safe. He plans to remain in China for another year before joining them, but he never leaves China. For nearly twenty years Eric serves in Northern China as a minister and teacher, and finally as a prisoner.
Eric, along with 2,000 other expatriates, is sent to an internment camp run by the Japanese. It is there that Eric teaches, preaches and supports his fellow internees in numerous ways, including organizing sporting events and mentoring the young children in the camp. His devotion to the children earns him the nickname “Uncle Eric.”
Life in the internment camp at Shandong Province is hard. Food, medicine and other supplies are scarce. In 1944 Winston Churchill approves a prisoner exchange with Japan and Eric, being a famous athlete gets chosen to leave. You would think, considering the miserable conditions in camp he would jump at the chance to get out, but he refuses freedom, instead offering his place to a pregnant woman.
February 21, 1945, just five months before Weihsien Internment Camp would be liberated, Eric Liddell dies from an undetected brain tumor, at 43 years of age, he would never meet his third daughter Maureen. Today, at the former site of the Weihsien Internment Camp, stands a memorial honoring Eric Liddell.
“Many of us are missing something in life because we are after the second best, I put before you what I have found to be the best - one who is worthy of all our devotion - Jesus Christ. He is the Saviour for the young and the old. Lord, here I am” -Eric Liddell-
Finishing Well
Today is the 81st anniversary of Eric Liddell’s death, and it seemed like a good idea to spend a few minutes reflecting on the life of this amazing man. A man who finished his race well.
Loved to the movie, great post.