The Father Who Ran

At the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, British sprinter Derek Redmond was considered a strong contender for the 400-meter semifinals. Midway through the race, his hamstring snapped with an audible pop. He crumpled to the track.

Every other runner crossed the finish line. Officials moved toward him. But Derek Redmond got up — limping, crying, unable to run but unwilling to stop. He would finish the race.

Then, from high in the stands, a man in a cap pushed past security guards and sprinted onto the track. It was Jim Redmond, Derek's father. He wrapped his arm around his son's shoulder and said, "You don't have to do this." Derek answered, "Yes, I do." So together — father holding son — they walked and limped the final hundred meters to the finish line.

Tens of thousands rose to their feet. There wasn't a dry eye in the stadium.

That image has stayed with the world for more than three decades because it pictures something we all long for — not just a race finished, but a love that runs toward us when we fall. This is the gospel. We have all torn something. We have all collapsed on a track we thought we could run alone. Redemption is not the absence of suffering; it is the presence of a Father who refuses to leave us there. He comes to us in our breaking. He puts His arm around us. And He walks us home.