I like sports movies! One of my all time favorites is the Academy Award-winning movie, "Chariots of Fire". The opening scene, with Vangelis' iconic musical score blaring in the background would make just about anyone get up off the couch and go for a run! The movie tells the story of two British runners, Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell who won gold medals (Abrahams in the 100 meter race and Liddell in the 400 meter race) at the 1924 Olympics. Abrahams was Jewish and ran to overcome prejudice. Liddell was a devout Christian who ran to glorify God.
Even though the movie does take some poetic license, it is fairly accurate from a historical standpoint. Eric Liddell normally ran the 100 meter race too, but learned that the qualifying heats were to be run on a Sunday. As a devout Christian, Liddell refused to run on Sunday (one of the Ten Commandments says, "Remember the Sabbath, keep it holy"). The British head track coach, the British Olympic Committee, and even the Prince of Wales implored Liddell to run, but he still refused. He ends up running the 400 meter race instead. Abrahams wins the 100 meter race, and Liddell wins gold in the 400 meter race. Everyone is happy in the end, even the Prince of Wales!
There is a moment in the movie, just before the 400 meter race, when the American sprinter, Jackson Scholz, hands Liddell a handwritten note, which says, "It says in the good book, 'He who honors me, I will honor.' Good luck. Jackson Scholz." (the quote is from a verse in the Bible, 1 Samuel 2:30). Apparently, Jackson Scholz didn't give Liddell this note in real life - rather, the note was handed to Liddell from another British track athlete. Regardless, it was a nice gesture of sportsmanship and was a memorable scene in the movie.
What is impressive to me is that Liddell stood fast for his convictions. It would have been easy to just go ahead and run - it was the Olympics for goodness sake! How better to glorify God than to win an Olympic gold medal (indeed, this was an argument that the Prince of Wales made, after Liddell refused to run for "King and Country"). I can imagine Liddell arguing in his head, trying to rationalize that it really was okay to run, even though the qualifying race was going to be held on a Sunday. But integrity won out. Liddell honored the Sabbath, and in the end, he still won a gold medal.
How many times have we been placed in this kind of situation? Well, probably not that many times, as most of us aren't Olympic caliber athletes. There is no question, however, that at times, we are faced with a job or task that conflicts with our own personal values, beliefs, and ethics. Integrity matters. The singer Bob Marley reportedly once said, "The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively." Integrity, the kind that Eric Liddell showed when he refused to run the race of his life on a Sunday, is one of the absolute, fundamental leadership characteristics. Dwight Eisenhower said, "The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity." No wonder that integrity is frequently cited as the single most important leadership attribute in surveys on leadership.
Shortly after one of the other runners gives up his spot in the 400 meter race so that Liddell can still run, the British Olympic committee members have the following conversation:
Duke of Sutherland: A sticky moment, George.
Lord Birkenhead: Thank God for Lindsay. I thought the lad had us beaten.
Duke of Sutherland: He did have us beaten, and thank God he did.
Lord Birkenhead: I don't quite follow you.
Duke of Sutherland: The "lad", as you call him, is a true man of principles and a true athlete. His speed is a mere extension of his life, its force. We sought to sever his running from himself.
Lord Birkenhead: For his country's sake, yes.
Duke of Sutherland: No sake is worth that, least of all a guilty national pride.
Integrity matters. And in the end, "Those who honor me, I will honor."
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