My Unexpected Calling

Have you ever had your life perfectly mapped out, only for everything to change in a way you never saw coming?

There is a big difference between a dream and a calling. A dream is something we plan for ourselves. We set the timeline, imagine the future, and work hard to make it happen. I had my own dream mapped out. I wanted to fight white-collar crime, so I poured countless hours into earning degrees in Criminal Justice, Accounting, and Business. I was focused, determined, and actively pursuing the career path I believed was meant for me.

Maybe you have a dream like that too. Maybe you are pursuing a goal, building a career, raising a family, growing a ministry, or working toward something you believe is your future.

But after many years of walking with God, I have learned that a calling is very different from a dream. A dream is something we choose, but a calling is something God reveals. It may be unexpected. It may be unplanned. It may come through prayer, surrender, and quiet time alone with Him. To embrace it, we must keep an open heart, trust God’s timing, and believe that He will provide everything we need—even when the path looks nothing like the one we imagined.

For me, that calling came through unimaginable heartbreak. My son, Greg, faced relentless bullying and a broken school system that punished him while allowing his bullies to walk free. The isolation, pain, and injustice became too much for him to bear, and tragically, Greg took his own life.

When you experience the unbearable grief of burying a child, it can feel like God is a million miles away. But I can tell you from the deepest, darkest place in my heart that He was right there with me, grieving too. In the depth of my grief, I spent every day on my knees crying out to God. Some days, the only thing I could do was sit in His presence and ask Him to help me survive the loss and find hope again.

Psalm 34:18: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and he saves those
whose spirits have been crushed”

In that quiet, broken place, God began to speak to me in the most profound way. He showed me that my pain was not meant to destroy me. It was becoming part of a greater purpose. Through this tragedy, I discovered that God could use our deepest wounds to help us grow, comfort others, and bring hope into places marked by suffering. 

Are you willing to allow God to heal your brokenness so that He can use you for His Glory?

Your heartbreak may not look like mine. It may be addiction, family struggles, prodigal children, broken relationships, disappointment, or another kind of loss. But I believe that out of our deepest pain, God can reveal a calling we never expected. Everyone wants a platform or a purpose, but sometimes the door to our true calling opens only after we lay our plans down and trust God to use us in places we would never have chosen for ourselves.

Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, and who have been called according to his purpose.”

If you are walking through something painful right now, I want to encourage you: God has not abandoned you. Even when you feel crushed, He can bring beauty from ashes. He can use what broke your heart to shape a purpose that reaches and helps others.

That truth became the heartbeat behind The Greg Spring Foundation. I started this foundation to honor Greg’s life and to turn a devastating loss into a mission of perseverance, protection, and hope. 

Through the foundation we are working to support vulnerable students, encourage broken spirits, and help communities create lasting safety policies so that other families do not have to endure the pain we experienced. I warmly invite you to join us on this journey. By supporting the foundation, you are helping us encourage families, protect students, and create a safer, more compassionate world in Greg’s honor.

Question: In your own life, where have you seen God bring purpose out of a season of pain?

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