Football players are trained to fight through pain. They learn discipline, toughness and the importance of never giving up. But what happens when the battle isn't on a football field, the opponent can’t be tackled, and determination alone doesn’t guarantee a victory?

For former Ohio State and NFL linebacker Chris Spielman, that battle began in 1998 when his wife, Stefanie, was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 30. The couple had four children and a lifetime of plans ahead of them. Suddenly, they were navigating a world no amount of athletic training could prepare them for.

Spielman did something that might surprise those who knew him primarily as a football player, he put his professional career on hold to care for his wife. For a man whose life had revolved around competition, that decision revealed something about what mattered most. Before he was a football star, he was a husband and father. And when his family needed him, that was where he chose to be.

The Spielmans' story is told in Chris' 2012 memoir, That's Why I'm Here: The Chris and Stefanie Spielman Story, co-written with Bruce Hooley. It is a story about marriage, parenting, grief and a faith that was tested by circumstances no family would willingly choose. It’s also a reminder that faith doesn't necessarily mean we understand what God is doing. Sometimes faith means continuing to walk with Him when we don't understand at all….READ MORE…