Teeth not Tooth

Chew on this

I have a burning question.

When you have more than one skill or talent, how do you decide which one leads?

Is it the one that brings the most joy? The one that pays the bills? The one that feels easiest to execute?
The actual question is, do you need to choose at all?

I have always been a one-thing-at-a-time kind of girl. Not as an excuse for laziness, but because it has always felt like the neater, more organised way to live. I like clarity. I like structure.
The idea of doing everything, everywhere, all at once? Honestly, it sounds chaotic.
And when it doesn’t feel chaotic, it often feels... diluted, less impactful.

I always fall back on the singer/actor example. The people who try to do both are rarely renowned in either. If you listed your top 10 singers or top 10 actors, chances are their names would not appear. (Yes, I know 10 is a small sample size, but you get the point.)

Lately, however, I have been relearning, and my hypothesis is very shaky.

There is a verse that has been anchoring my devotion these past few days:

“Behold, I will make you a sharp threshing instrument having teeth.”
—Isaiah 41:15

Teeth. Not tooth.

Incisors for cutting.
Canines for tearing.
Premolars for crushing.
Molars for grinding.

Each tooth has a function, but on its own, it is not enough. It is the harmony of them all that makes nourishment possible.

Maybe that is how our giftings are meant to work, too?

Maybe our talents, callings, experiences, and quirks were never meant to compete for the spotlight. Maybe they are meant to cooperate.

You can be a business strategist and a teen mentor.
A writer and a community builder.
A leader and a stylist and a prayer warrior—all at once.
Teeth, not tooth.

I won’t pretend it is easy. Juggling multiple callings takes intention. But maybe the first step is taking an honest inventory:

• What are your natural abilities?

• Spiritual gifts?

• Acquired skills?

• Character virtues?

• Lessons from lived experience?

Now ask yourself: which ones have you overused? Which ones have you been neglecting?
What would it look like to let them speak to one another, work together, and carry equal weight? To find balance and let them complement each other, rather than compete?

This is something I am still unwrapping. Still living.
But maybe we do not need to have it all figured out.
Maybe we just need to start chewing with more than one tooth.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.