One way I simplify my life as a blogger is by using the images available on free photo sites. Nearly all of the featured images for the 26 Steps to Simplicity series (except for Peace and Quiet– that one’s mine) come from the incomparable Unsplash. I am a mediocre photographer at best, so I rely on the expertise and creativity of others to make my blog shine. Thank you, Unsplash, and all of its generous, independent photographers, for making my blog look great:)
The waste of life occasioned by trying to do too many things at once is appalling. ~Orison Marden
It is the same in our everyday lives. We cannot be great at everything, and we cannot do it all on our own. I can write, but I can’t take amazing photos. Someone else might be a great housekeeper but a terrible cook. Another might be a whiz with numbers but a mess with words. We all have unique gifts and abilities, and we are called to both use them and to share them with others. We need each other to truly shine in this world.
In 1 Corinthians, 12:14-20, Paul speaks of this in relation to the church, but I think it applies generally, as well:
Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. ~Confucius
Why make life impossibly complicated by insisting on managing everything on our own? Instead, focus on being great at the one, two, or three things God has designed you to excel in. Share your talents with others, and allow them to share theirs with you.
We live in such a do-it-yourself, every man for himself, independent culture. We have forgotten the value of teamwork, of sharing, of helping, of asking for help. When we aren’t so busy doing everything we can to make ourselves look good, we are able to focus on others and provide opportunities to help them shine.
I love this passage from Philippians 2:13-15:
For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purpose. Do everything without grumbling and arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world.
There are simple ways we can do this everyday. Here are a few ways I have seen it played out:
- When my 7yo daughter passes the soccer ball to a teammate for the goal when she could have scored it herself.
- When my Sunday School girls slow down to help each other finish a worksheet instead of racing to be the first to finish.
- When bloggers promote other bloggers’ posts, knowing the referral might garner greater attention than their own post.
- When an overwhelmed mom asks for help with the cooking, cleaning, or childcare.
It’s not easy to put aside our selfish pursuits or to take the spotlight off of ourselves and redirect it on someone else. It’s not easy to admit we can’t do it all and to receive help from those who are willing to help carry the load. My dear friend is in the midst of such a season. As the mother of four children, under three years old, she has had to rely on her husband and friends to help her get through some of the more challenging days. She writes about her experience with candor and humility in her post, Dear Mama, You Need Help (and that’s okay!!).
I know that, without Unsplash, my blog would look unprofessional and uninteresting. I gratefully make use of their photographers’ unique gifts because I don’t have time or money to invest in developing myself as a photographer. If I overextended myself, trying to add photography to my never-ending list of To Do’s, my writing would suffer, our budget would break, and I would be stressed and exhausted from the extra effort.
What unique gift do you have to offer others? Is there an area of your life where you need help, but you have been trying to manage it all on your own? Decide today to share your gifts or to ask for the help you need. Look for ways to help others shine and succeed with no thought for yourself. I’d love to hear your story in the comments below!
Leave a Reply