When God called Moses, one of the first questions He asked him was: ‘What is that in your hand?’ Moses was holding his shepherd’s staff – the one he used each day to lead and protect his sheep. But God had a different plan for it – a greater plan He used it to part the Red Sea and lead Israel into the Promised Land. When God asks us, ‘What is that in your hand?’ He wants us to think about our talents, experiences, relationships, education, resources, our mind and our temperament. Psychologist Dr Martin Seligman talks about our ‘signature strengths’. They fall into six categories: 1) Wisdom and knowledge. These include things like curiosity, love of learning, sound judgement, and social intelligence. 2) Courage. This includes perseverance and integrity. 3) Humanity. The capacity for kindness, and the ability to express mercy. 4) Justice. The ability to bring about fairness and leadership. 5) Temperance. Qualities like self-control, prudence, and humility. 6) Transcendence. An appreciation for beauty, the expression of gratitude, the ability to hope, and the capacity for joy. We all have the capacity for each of these strengths, but the ones that resonate most deeply within us are our ‘signature strengths’. Once we identify these, we begin to understand our calling. But we need to be careful; the enemy wants to convince us that God can’t use us because of our weaknesses, when in fact the opposite is true. The things we’ve struggled with and the things that have happened to us, put us in the perfect position to help others who are going through similar things. God uses our strengths and our weaknesses to advance His kingdom and to bring Him glory.

What now?

Take another look through the list of signature strengths. See if you can work out which ones you have and ask God how you can use them for His glory.