In 1981 I became a Christian and, later that year, the movie 'Chariots of Fire' was released - you may be familiar with it: the true story of two rival British sprinters approaching the Paris Olympics of 1924.

The main hero is Eric Liddell, who was winger for the Scottish rugby team. A committed Christian, he refused to run the 100 metres because it required running on a Sunday, but he won the 400 metres instead on a different day in a rcord time. Liddell went to China soon afterwards as a missionary, and he died in a Japanese internment camp in 1945. As it says at the end of the movie, ‘All of Scotland mourned’.

But the scene I recall most doesn’t feature Liddell at all. Rather, it is on the starting line of the 100 metres final. Liddell’s teammate and former rival Harold Abrahams has learned the dangers of being distracted by things happening left and right, so he focuses only on the finishing tape and the screen ‘greys out’ to his left and right. Naturally he wins, but it’s true, not just a cinematic happy ending.

I think of this as an illustration of Hebrews 12.2, which speaks of running the race marked out for us while fixing our eyes on Jesus. He, and only He, gives the peace that the world cannot give. I hope you will know that peace.

Wishing you God’s best,

David