For years, I personally felt limited by a phrase I have repeatedly heard throughout my lifetime: “A jack of all trades is a master of none.” This one quote has talked me out of pursuing more than one dream for my life for years. Because I was convinced of this quote, believing it was true, I felt the “responsibility” to clip my talent wings and settle for pursuing just one venture and avenue of talent.
Something a friend said to me recently started to unpack and take off the weight of that heavy comment. I was on the phone telling her how I wanted to add some new avenues alongside my photography business in 2022 and she said, “You’re going to do great. You have always succeeded at whatever you have tried.” I felt like I had been hit in the gut and as though my eyes were suddenly opened to a truth I hadn’t seen before.
Things did come fairly easily to me when I actually believed I could and I put my heart and mind to it. I picked up piano in college and was told by my professor that I had a “natural ear” for it. I spoke French with a natural accent like it was a second language for me and my professor encouraged me to pursue it, saying it came naturally for me.
The dresses I have made over the year for princess photo sessions ( see www.BebaPhotography.com ) came without a lick of education. I prayed to God about it, asking Him to give me the talent to do it, picked up material, started cutting and sewing and these beautiful dresses came out of seemingly nowhere.
I have had so many people tell me that I have a very special eye with my photography and that I have a natural ability to connect with people and connect them with others. In my personal life, I draw, paint, decorate, organize, crochet, cross-stitch, and design graphics well, especially when I am in an encouraging environment.
I am not sharing these things to say, “Look at me!” or to elevate myself above others, because it is quite the opposite. I believe that any talent or ability I have, or anyone has, is because God has given it to us in the first place and He has called us to steward the talents He has given in an excellent way that serves and glorifies Him. The reason I am writing this is because I realized something life-changing and want to give someone else that is multi-talented the ability to be free from a lie that has been limiting their thinking and abilities too.
If that is you, please listen up.
The phrase, “Jack of all trades, and master of none,” according to Forbes.com originally started off as a positive compliment instead of having negative connotations like it does now. The whole of the quote actually says, “A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.”
I personally needed a little more convincing and perhaps you do too. I encourage you to think of famous multi-talented individuals who have succeeded in mastering the many crafts and abilities that have been given them. They all served well in various roles and didn’t let multi-talent stop them. Instead, they pressed in and instead poured themselves into honing their multiple skills, becoming well-versed in their respected fields:
Shirley Temple Black: Actress, singer, dancer, diplomat
Annette Funicello: Actress, singer, dancer
Leonardo da Vinci: Painter, sculptor, architect, engineer
Benjamin Franklin: Author, inventor, politician, printer, scientist
Ronald Reagan: Actor, president, author
Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen: Actresses, designers, producers
A favorite example of a multi-talented individual is Bezalel who is found in the book of Exodus in the Bible.
Exodus 31:1-5:
31 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— 4 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 5 to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts.
He was a Spirit-filled man who had wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and a list of skills. Did you catch that? God gave him three different kinds of knowledge (multi-faceted), and he was skilled in multiple areas of the arts. The Bible says he worked in gold, silver, and bronze. He knew how to cut and set stones. He worked with wood. He engaged “all kinds” of crafts. He was a man with a litany of talents and God made him successful in them all. Bezalel used his talents, not for his own glory, but for God’s glory.
That is where I want to be. I want my life to be a living sacrifice, using the talents God has given to me and giving them back to Him as an act of worship. I can only do this by being convinced to freely use all the talents and skills God has given me. I don’t want to be like the man in the Bible in Matthew 25 who buries his talents because he was afraid. I want to use well all that God has given to me.
Is this where you are at as well?
Do you have more than one talent?
Have you felt pressured to pick and choose your favorite instead of strengthening each one?
Do you you want to become a living sacrifice for God and steward the gifts He has given you?
I challenge you with this:
Rather than limiting your talents, why not begin to pursue all of those talents for and in the power of an unlimited God?
Luke 12:48 admonishes us, “…and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”
Let 2022 be the year you let go of self-imposed limitations and use the things God has given you in an excellent way. You cannot undo the past, but you can start fresh this year and become all that God has created you to be!
Happy New Year! Here is to a wonderful 2022!
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I am a family, children, and high school senior photographer here in Phoenix, AZ. Book your next photo session with me: 480.399.3030 | alicia@BebaPhotography.com
Beba Photography 