THE GRATITUDE ATTITUDE
In 1981, an inspirational Christian
film was released. “Chariots of Fire” is a true story about Great
Britain’s national track team and their participation in the 1924 Summer
Olympic Games, which were held in Paris, France.
Eric Liddell, a citizen of
Scotland, was a Christian missionary who was absolutely thrilled to qualify as
a member of Great Britain’s Olympic Team.
However, some members of
Eric’s family disapproved. They viewed
the Olympic Games as a distraction from his important ministry work. However, Eric was steadfast in his insistence
that his participation was the will of God. In his words, “I believe God
made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run, I feel
His pleasure. To give up running would be to hold Him in contempt.
To win is to honor him!” Therefore, Eric was running – not to gain mere
accolades or fame – but for the express purpose of honoring God. Eric had
qualified to run in the premier sprinting event, the 100-meter race, and he was
the odds-on favorite to win against the likes of Jackson Sholz, the elite
American sprinter.
As the British team sailed
from London to Paris, Eric learned that the qualifying heat for the 100-meter
race would take place on a Sunday. This was most disheartening since Eric
and his family had unwavering convictions about honoring the Christian Sabbath.
So, Eric was convinced that he had no other choice but to drop out of the
race. And no matter who tried to dissuade Eric, from the head of Great
Britain’s Olympic Committee to the Crown Prince of Wales, he firmly refused to
do that which he felt would dishonor God.
Nevertheless, just before
his scheduled race, a door of opportunity opened for Eric to run in an
alternative race, which was scheduled for another weekday. One teammate
who previously medaled in another event made the offer for Eric to take his
place in the 400-meter race. Everyone quickly came on board with this
compromise because Eric was so gifted that he just might win. It was an absolute joy for everyone to watch
him run.
Just before the start of
the final heat of the 400-meter race, Jackson Sholz, the young American
sprinter who was also a Christian, walked onto the track and delivered a
handwritten note to Eric Liddell. Here’s what Jackson had written: “It
says in the Old Book that those who honor Me…I will honor.” What an awesome message of
inspiration it was for Eric, that God, Himself, would be present to honor his unpopular
decision to publicly confess and honor Him! The starting gun sounded, and
although Eric Liddell had not trained for the 400-meter race, arguably one of
the most difficult races in track and field, he won easily and by a wide
margin.
The note that Jackson Sholz
had written and delivered to Eric Liddell is drawn from the following
scripture:
I Samuel 2:30b
Those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.
Those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.
The word “honor” means to
highly reverence, respect and defer to, with the utmost demonstration of value
and the highest degree of sincerity. This concept is crucial to every
aspect of a Christian’s life. In the
days leading up to our national holiday called Thanksgiving, it is important to
recognize that a very important part of honoring God is maintaining THE
GRATITUDE ATTITUDE. It is
mission critical to our relationship with God and our peace of mind as we walk
through this journey called life. Also,
it is the perfect will of God. “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ
Jesus concerning you.” (I Thessalonians 5:18)
A powerful hymn by Johnson
Oatman, Jr., describes THE PRAISE MINDSET that Christian disciples should exemplify:
Count your blessings, name
them one by one…
Count your blessings, see
what God has done…
Count your blessings, name
them one by one…
Count your many blessings,
see what God has done!
These simple song lyrics
call to mind a key spiritual resolution of the Psalmist David, who declared, “I will bless the Lord at all times: His
praise shall continually be in mouth.” (Psalm 34:1)
The
Gratitude Attitude works in your favor, for “thank
you” always makes room for more.
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