I’m never short of ideas for this column, but I’m not closed to suggestions either which is why I’ve decided to talk about ‘perseverance’ this week. It sprang to mind when a friend contacted me to check that I was going to say something about the Paris Olympics, and Eric Liddel in particular.

Liddel was the Scottish sprinter, rugby player and Christian missionary who famously refused to run in the 100 metre heats of the 1924 Paris Olympics because they were being held on a Sunday yet ended up basking in Olympic glory and the star of the Oscar winning film ‘Chariots of Fire’.

Life was certainly ‘no bed of roses’ for Liddel. The 400 metres was not his forte and he was heavily criticised for taking that decision, but he persevered and as a result won what one newspaper said was “probably the most dramatic race ever seen on a running track.”

Liddel persevered because he believed he was doing what God wanted him to do and that he would be given the strength to do it. As he said to a fellow athlete, “Well, when the gun goes, I go as fast as I can, and I trust to God that I'll have the strength to do the second half.”

But why persevere? Jesus’s brother can help us here. Writing to some of his friends when they were having a hard time he said, ‘Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete.’ In other words perseverance can be character forming. 

This was certainly true for Liddel who went on to become a missionary in China. He continued to serve God even though it meant being separated from his family and interned by the Japanese. His Christian witness was so authentic that a fellow inmate who survived the camp (Liddel died there) commented: “It is rare indeed that a person has the good fortune to meet a saint, but he came as close to it as anyone I have ever known.” God then, can give us the strength to become better people when we learn to persevere and to trust Him.

It’s worth persevering for another very good reason too: God has promised those that serve Him that it will never prove a waste of time and effort. Some will see the fruits of their labours of course. William Wilberforce did. He campaigned against slavery for decades and experienced a great deal of hardship and many a defeat in the process. But he saw his dream realised even though it was just three days before he died. On the other hand, some will not - which is why we sometimes have to leave the outcome to God.

Now as I understand it, Liddel was handed a note on the morning of the 400 metre final that read, “’He that honours me I will honour.’ Wishing you the best of success always.” It’s a reminder that we all need encouragement at times. We can do it in all sorts of ways but however we do it, let’s take every opportunity we can to do so. As the Roman poet Horace would say ‘Carpe Diem’ – ‘Seize the day’.