When Your Father Runs to You

At the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, British sprinter Derek Redmond entered the 400-meter semifinal as a legitimate medal contender. Then, at the 250-meter mark, a sharp crack echoed through the stadium. His hamstring had torn. He collapsed to the track, writhing in agony, while the other runners disappeared around the curve.

What happened next stopped 65,000 people cold.

Redmond got up. Weeping, limping, refusing to quit, he began hopping toward the finish line. Then a large man in a white cap burst through security and onto the track. It was Jim Redmond, Derek's father. He wrapped his arm around his son's shoulders and leaned in close. "You don't have to do this," he said. Derek looked up through tears. "Dad, I've got to finish."

Together — son leaning into father — they crossed that finish line as the entire stadium rose to its feet.

The race had stopped being about a medal long before they reached the tape. It became something far more important: a picture of what it looks like to get up and keep going when everything inside you wants to stop, and the grace of a father who refuses to watch from a distance.

God is not in the stands waiting to see how you perform. The Almighty is the Father who has already broken through every barrier to reach you. When the race turns against you and your strength gives out, He runs to you.

The courage He calls us to is never a solo act. It is always a child learning to lean on their Father.