December 16, 2025: The Christmas Countdown (Day 4)

It all started with a fire-breathing dragon.

In middle school, my sixth-grade project required writing a short play. So I created one about a dragon. To my shock, my teacher and classmates actually enjoyed it and gave me tons of encouragement.

Something clicked.

A few years later, my church youth group staged a Christmas production. We all offered ideas, stitching them together into a big story.

I put lots of work into my assigned scene. And the imagination spilled out. When I heard the congregation laugh in the right places, I felt that same warm jolt.

I certainly didn’t consider myself a creative person or a writer. Those labels belonged to others. But those two events served as a sneak peek into my future.

Which has me thinking. Paths seldom show up as maps. They appear as fragments that you recognize only when you think back.

Want to know what to do with your life? Search your youth for clues. Your childhood often drops hints long before your adult self figures things out.

It’s like finding your favorite radio frequency after years of static. Or watching a movie for the second time, where the random plot twists now make total sense and you yell at the screen, “How did I not see this?”

Your calling rarely announces itself with fanfare. So look carefully, then connect the dots.

Follow the dragon.