I remember it distinctly: opting to drive home after a Texas Rangers game in Arlington instead of staying with family, as offered. After a couple of hours, my vision fixated on the two narrow beams projected from my headlights. The eyes ached and grew heavy. I increased the air conditioning and turned up the radio and both seemed to help. But the vision narrowed again. My head bobbed here and there. And almost with finality, I suddenly realized my truck was bounding over rough terrain -- I had veered into the center median when I fell asleep behind the wheel.
My reflexes took over as I slammed on the brake pedal. My truck came to a skidding stop and I turned it off to collect myself. My heart thumped like thunder inside my chest. God was watching out for me that night...so many others with similar experiences were never able to write about them later!
Tunnel vision is a horrible thing, especially when applied to God's work. Too often our vision is fixed on ourselves. We try to do the will of God with our own energy and usually mess it up. Thus, the thing God has impressed upon me this week is this:
"Trust Me and get your focus off of yourself. I'll take what you already have,
by My power and by My grace, and I will use you in ways that you can never
even imagine."
by My power and by My grace, and I will use you in ways that you can never
even imagine."
I was reminded this week of a man I really admire. His name is Chris Spielman and he was an outstanding linebacker. He grew up in Ohio and played sandlot football with his older brothers. Even then, stories of his ferocity were legend. He was always smaller than most players in his position but Chris Spielman was always about heart. A second-string player, during one particular game in which they were losing, Chris paced back-and-forth behind the coach during the third quarter. "Send me in! Lemme play!" he would urge. With persistence, he got his wish.
Whether they won or lost I no longer remember, but his passion changed the course of the game. During the time remaining, he set a school record for most tackles in a single game and moved into a first string position. He became an All-American and was the first high-school player to be featured on a Wheaties box. Upon graduation, he moved his football savagery to the Ohio State University. As a Buckeye, he set numerous single-game and team records for tackles, assists, and quarter-back sacks. He was named an All-American twice, received the Lombardi Award in 1987 and was voted the season's MVP that same year. He was a fan favorite and simply embodied all that a history of Ohio State defensive football stood for. His devotion to training was no less impressive.
Spielman, #36, charged up during a game against Michigan.
He also had his detractors, notably Mel Kiper, Jr., an NFL draft "guru". Because of his size, scouts discounted his effectiveness in the NFL and as a result, he was picked 29th in the 2nd round of the draft. Chris and his big heart wound up in Detroit, where he immediately made a big impact.
As a Lion, Chris captained the defense. He was voted into the Pro Bowl four times and during his ten years there, his statistics were impressive: 10 sacks, 4 interceptions, 30 pass defenses, 13 forced fumbles, 17 fumble recoveries and he led the team in tackles for 7 consecutive years, including a single-season high of 195 (in '94). He was named defensive MVP of the Year in '93 and '94 and his career with Detroit ended with 1,138 tackles (which was also a record).
As a Lion, Chris captained the defense. He was voted into the Pro Bowl four times and during his ten years there, his statistics were impressive: 10 sacks, 4 interceptions, 30 pass defenses, 13 forced fumbles, 17 fumble recoveries and he led the team in tackles for 7 consecutive years, including a single-season high of 195 (in '94). He was named defensive MVP of the Year in '93 and '94 and his career with Detroit ended with 1,138 tackles (which was also a record).
One of my favorite memories comes from the Thanksgiving Day game in 1994. The Dallas Cowboys had orchestrated a long drive to about the 5 yard line. Detroit had turned away each attempt at scoring until 3rd down, inside the 1. Aikman took the snap and immediately handed it off to a charging Emmitt Smith, who leapt over the entire line with amazing ability. Spielman had keyed in on Emmitt before the play began and, calling upon his own ability, also leapt over that line. They met in mid-air with a thunderous crash and Emmett was denied the score!
From there he moved to Buffalo and began setting records for the Bills, many of which were accomplished while recovering from a torn pectoral muscle. In 1997, however, he suffered a neck injury that required spinal surgery. He resurfaced in 1999, back in Ohio, with the Cleveland Browns. Although he was impressive during preseason, another neck injury forced him into retirement before the regular season started.
Let me tell you...after all this...Chris had just made it to the bank of the Jordan!
During the time he was recovering from his neck injury in '97, his wife, Stefanie, was diagnosed with breast cancer. He took the '98 season off, not because of his own injuries, but because his focus was not on his career, but where it needed to be - on his wife and family.With the same ferocity he had displayed with football, Chris and his wife battled breast cancer and set up the Stefanie Spielman Breast Cancer Fund, which has topped $10 million in total contributions. In all, Stefanie fought through four bouts of cancer, succumbing to a fifth in 2009. Today, Chris Spielman continues her fight and has remained in football through broadcasting and coaching. He is also a sought-after inspirational speaker through which he tells his story -- their story -- and shares the strong faith he developed as God walked with him. This is where he's made the most impact with his life!
the Ohio State-Navy game, Sept. 2009, in
which they honored Chris for his induction
into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Stefanie would pass two months later.
Like Chris, I pace back-and-forth behind the Coach, asking Him to play me. But right now, I'm still learning the plays, still working out the strategies. I'm still learning to trust God so I can do His work for His glory and not my own. He's waiting until I can run onto the field not as myself, but as Christ through me.
And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are
being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory, which
comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
-- 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV)
There were many personal goals I had set for myself this week and it has been amazing to see God, time and again, shut those things down. Essentially keeping away the distractions, so I can now really focus on this journey to seek His Will. In my mind, I still plan on pursing the Plan, but I'm also leaving my mind open to abandon the Plan, should God choose. Equally, I'm willing to go a different route entirely if called to do so. Waiting, for me, has always been the frustrating, uneasy part of trusting God but this time around, I'm good with it. Instead, I'm enjoying the sweetness of getting to know my Heavenly Father and letting Him direct me accordingly.
If you'd like to contribute to or learn more about Chris's ongoing battle with the disease that claimed his wife, please click on the following link:
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