When God called Moses, one of the questions He asked him was, What is that in your hand? (Ex 4:2 NIV). Moses held his shepherd's staff. It represented his livelihood; it's what he was good at. It represented his income; his flock was his wealth and his family's security. God asked him to be willing to lay it down.

 

God still asks, What is that in your hand? What has been given to you? Your gifts, your money, your temperament, your experience, your relationships, your mind, your education.

 

God has given you what Dr. Martin Seligman calls signature strengths. Seligman found that human abilities fall into certain categories. He defined them as:

 

(a) Wisdom and knowledge (which includes abilities like curiosity, love of learning, sound judgment, and social intelligence).

(b) Courage (perseverance and integrity).

(c) Humanity (with capacities for kindness and the expression of mercy).

(d) Justice (the ability to bring about fairness and leadership).

(e) Temperance (qualities like self control, prudence, humility).

(f) Transcendence (the appreciation of beauty, the expression of gratitude, the ability of hope, the capacity for joy).

 

We all have the capacity for each of these strengths, but a few resonate more deeply in you; they are your signature strengths. Identify these, and you begin to understand your calling.

Sometimes we think God couldn't or wouldn't use us because of our weaknesses. No, the opposite is true. No one can speak to those who grieve, better than those who've suffered loss. Chuck Colson was the chief White House lawyer, until Watergate. But it wasn't until he was a convict that he was prepared to begin prison fellowship. Today, if you let him, God will use you.