Eric’s dogmatic writing has built a lighthouse for disciples who feel cast about or as if they are treading water in open seas of spiritual turbulence. Written during a time of political fear and a personal time of separation from his most cherished loved ones, Eric’s manuscript spotlights grace and truth. In essence, he encourages readers to put on a life preserver of faith in Jesus Christ and outlines the routine and discipline of being fed by the Word of Christ to demonstrate grace in everyday living.
Years later, after the release of Eric’s book, D. P. Thomson described it, saying, “It includes, amongst other things, nearly 60 pages devoted to Bible readings, with comments for every day of the year. It is a work which involved immense labour and unremitting care, and it is the fruit of those long hours he spent in meditation and prayer.”[79]
Eric Liddell’s time of study and growth, which became The Disciplines of the Christian Life, was his last great gift to anyone who reads it. Although written from a tiny corner of the world—a mere dot on the map—its ripples spread far beyond what he could have ever imagined.
[75] Duncan Hamilton, For the Glory: Eric Liddell’s Journey from Olympic Champion to Modern Martyr (New York: Penguin, 2016), 241.
[76] D. P. Thomson, Scotland’s Greatest Athlete: The Eric Liddell Story (Barnoak, Crieff, Perthshire, Scotland: Research Unit, 1970), 176.
[77] Ibid., 176–77.
[78] Ibid., 177.
[79] Ibid., 178.
CHAPTER 21
DETAINMENT
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:58, NIV
January 1942
“The Japanese have ordered all British and American nationals living here in Tientsin to pack up their belongings.”
Eric sat at his desk working on his manuscript when Cullen came to the door with the news. At that, Eric closed the Bible that rested open near his elbow, then turned back to his roommate. “What do we have to do?”
Cullen’s face remained steadfast in the wake of change. “We have to find a new place to live, I’m afraid. Within the British concession.”
Mere days later, bitter cold cut through Eric’s clothing and nipped at his fingers and face as he moved what meager possessions he could into the home of Howard Smith, who lived with his family at the Methodist Mission Compound. Another LMS missionary, Gwen Morris, along with Gerald Luxon and his family, also took refuge with the Smiths.
“Tighter fit than we had before,” Gerald quipped to Eric.
“You mean back when we were flatmates?” That seemed a lifetime ago.
The unrest of the past few months cast a shadow over Gerald’s face. “Who would have ever imagined this, Eric? Would you?”
Eric willed his eyes not to drop to the floor. One day at a time meant one day closer to reuniting with his wife and children. “No,” he said. Then he held out his hand palm up. “But God has us, Gerald. I have no doubt.”
Gerald nodded. “Where did Cullen go?”
“A family—friends of his who live near Union Church—offered him a room.”
“And the Longmans?”
“They’re with the Earls.”
“I see.” Gerald started out of the room, his shoes scuffling along on the hardwood floor, all the while muttering, “Who would have imagined this . . .”
WITH THE FRENCH CONCESSION—including MacKenzie Hospital—now evacuated, the Japanese required foreigners to wear armbands that designated their nationality. Whenever they left home, Eric and the others from LMS slipped on a red band with the word YING (for Ying Kuo, which means “England”) stitched in black. While they were free to move about in the concession, the Japanese required that they bow to the sentries who stood guard at the checkpoints. Eric never made a fuss; he respected others and in turn received the same respect.
The Japanese sealed the French concession with an electric fence. This meant that the missionaries were effectively kept not only from their homes but also from their work. Not that this created idle time for Eric. He may not have been allowed into the rural areas for ministry, but that didn’t keep him from organizing prayer meetings. This proved to be tricky, though, because the Japanese—in an effort to discourage uprisings—forbade large gatherings of ten or more within the foreign community, whether inside or outside of homes or other buildings.
Essentially, meeting for worship became illegal.
However, family clusters could continue to meet within houses, and the LMS ladies could still organize afternoon teas. Eric suggested that each pastor write a sermon for Sunday and allow the tea party rotations to use their time together to present God’s Word. In this way, everyone stayed busy and spiritually fed, and fellowship morale remained high.
Eric spent a good deal of his time meeting and praying with individuals as well as completing his book on discipleship. He also worked on another short devotional, Prayers for Daily Use, which he penned specifically for the congregants of Union Church. “I have tried to bring before you certain thoughts which I have found helpful in the Christian Life,” Eric wrote in the preface. “The aim is that we should be like Jesus, thoughtful, kind, generous, true, pure and depending entirely on God’s help, seeking to be the kind of man or woman He desires us to be: seeking, in all things, to do His Will and to please Him.”[80]
Eric wrote feverishly during this time. He enjoyed it, and it served a greater purpose
