Bring Me My Chariot of Fire! (and look out cause here I come) Chariots of Fire Theme (enjoy but make sure you read the article)
Bring me my Bow of burning gold;
Bring me my Arrows of desire:
Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold!
Bring me my Chariot of fire!
I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand:
These words from the now classic poem “Jerusalem” by William Blake (words and music link below) help me introduce my posting which deals with the fact based story of two athletes leading up to the 1924 Olympics and the movie “Chariots of Fire”. Now one has to remember that I deal in Leadership and thus not any particular religion or country ideology. What this posting hopes to show and to that end I will challenge you now to ponder your comments to me on your thoughts of what I am choosing to show.
Ok, so now that I have set the table, I need to provide you with some menu items so you can follow my story and then decide for yourself just how much aspects of the 21 Laws of Leadership come into play. So I will mention outright the Laws that I have determined to be part of this posting…The Law of the Lid, The Law of Process, The Law of the Picture (aka the Big Picture), The Law of Victory, the Law of the Big MO, The Law of Priorities, the Law of Sacrifice and the Law of Legacy. I will not define these laws here for they can be looked up in John Maxwell’s Book, ‘The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership’. You may determine that there are more laws covered and I leave that to you to work out. There are no rights and no wrongs here. Instead we have a story that inspires us to follow and understand that the Laws are indeed the Laws and to deny their existence is like denying our very own.
This historical fact based film covers the running lives of devout Scottish Christian Eric Liddell, whose sole purpose is to run for the Glory of God and that of Harold Abrahams, an English Jew who runs to overcome prejudice and anti-semitism. It should be noted that the original phrase of “Chariot(s) of Fire” come from 2 Kings 2:11 and 6:17 of the Bible. Abrahams was able to achieve an undefeated string of victories at the national level. Along the way, he fell in love with Sybil whom he met while performing on the college stage. You see he was also an avid actor in the school’s Gibert and Sullivan Society. Eric on the other hand had been born in China of Scottish parents who were missionaries. Being a missionary was in his blood and would be a major factor and calling of his life. It was his sister who being so devout tried on numerous occasions to get him to stop his running. But you see, running was his calling in the way to Glorify God and would help him along his road to going back to China to do his mission work.
After years of training, both are accepted to run for Britain in the 1924 Olympics. One of the races that Liddell is to run is to take place on a Sunday. It is here that he clearly states that he will not run that race because of his Christian convictions which prevent him from doing so on the Sabbath. Liddell goes on to even deliver a sermon at a local Paris Church of Scotland and in his sermon he describes Isaiah 40 which for many of us is the verse of “Eagle’s Wings”…..”They shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.” Liddell will run a different race on a non-Sabbath Day and will win the Gold Medal. Abrahams is badly beaten in his first race and is severely distraught. But for his years of training, desire to show through the anti-semitism and inspired by others, he is able to win his race and the Gold Medal.
In closing, with the Medals won both men are able to pursue the final phases of their purposes on Earth. As John Maxwell has always reminded me…the 2 most important dates in my life are the day I was born and the day I know why. Abrahams would marry his sweetheart to whom he had put to the side to focus on his running and go on to a very successful career of managing British athletics. Liddell would get back to China where he would eventually die during the Japanese Occupation of China in 1945.
How prepared are you to put it all on the line to achieve your goals? How prepared are you to raise your levels of awareness to work towards those goals? How prepared are you to prioritize your tasks and make the required sacrifices to get to the finish line (of life)? In doing so, what will your legacy be? You see, I realize that the dash between my dates is what counts on the last day!
Do what you enjoy and enjoy what you do but most importantly, pour your heart and soul into it for you may not get another chance! Jerusalem…The Theme *Author’s note: I chose this version of Jerusalem as clearly so much in our lives rests on the youth that follows us.
Don’t forget, I am looking for your comments. Tell me how you exude these ideals and what your goals and dreams are!
Peace. BB
I am on fire to achieve what I was made to do. I have put in place, the steps it takes to get there. I am daily doing something that will bring my dream to fruition. This is such an exciting time in my life. Once I really believed in what I have to do, the steps became clear.
Great post Bob.
Great post, Bermuda Bob!!!
Chariots of Fire is an all time favourite film of mine. The character of Eric Liddell held an insurmountable attraction for me because of his unwavering stand on his commitment that no one, NO ONE..not King, not Country, Not even the possibility of winning a most coveted and acclaimed award could shake. This movie, and this character has formed mine! Thanks for writing this post Bob! Thoroughly enjoyed reading it!
Great post Bob. Upon reflection, I find it interesting how some people are chasing medals that may mean something to the world but nothing to them. Focusing on our true desires in life and chasing those dreams are what will at the end of the day, create our legacy. My dream … to travel the world believing in those around me and empowering them to find their own dream!
Today I learned that a client of mine pasted away unexpectedly on Friday at age 47.
As Michael W. Smith penned, This is the time, this is the chance, live every moment- leave nothing to chance.
Thank you BB for your insight. You’ve given me a lot to reflect on!