The Staff, the Rod and the Scepter!

The title originally was, “How to Be the Best Loser Ever!” But as I followed this passage and the stories that came after it, I realized there was something much deeper here.

This coming year will mark three years of a journey I never dreamed I would be on. To say the destination was uncharted waters is absolutely true. Every day, I am reminded of the losses I have experienced over the last two and a half years.

Some appendages. A colon. A leg. Some adult life experiences I can no longer indulge in.

There are things I have lost that I never thought I would have to live without. But every day, I try to remind myself of what I do have.

In Exodus 4:2, during that whole burning-bush moment, God asks Moses a simple question:

“What is that in your hand?”

Moses answers, “A staff.”

Just a simple shepherd’s staff.

But that simple staff became the instrument God used to perform miracles. It would eventually be referred to as the rod of God. And in the biblical story, a staff or rod would come to represent authority, leadership and kingship.

Think about that. What Moses saw as something ordinary, God saw as something He could use.

So, are you in the middle of a struggle? A loss? A season you never expected to walk through? Maybe you keep thinking about what you don’t have.

“I don’t have this anymore.”

“I can’t do that anymore.”

“I’ve lost this.”

“I’ll never get that back.”

But perhaps God is asking you the same question He asked Moses:

“What is in your hand?” What do you still have?

What has God placed in your hand? It may seem simple. Ordinary. Maybe even insignificant. But it’s not the what that makes the difference.

It’s the Who.

Set your eyes on what you do have. Offer it to Him. And let The Who take your ordinary “what” and turn it into something powerful.

A staff can become a rod.

A rod can become a symbol of authority.

And what looks insignificant in your hand can become significant when it is surrendered to God.

So, how do you become a great loser?

You stop focusing on what you’ve lost and start remembering what is still in your hand.

Because it’s not about what you have.

It’s about Who has it.

Blessings,

Mike Oliver