Set Your Sails!

That I may... become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him.
Philippians 3:10

Ella Wheeler Wilcox wrote: "One ship drives east and another drives west, with the selfsame winds that blow. 'Tis the set of the sails and not the gales, that decides the way to go. Like the winds of the sea are the ways of fate, as we voyage along through life; 'Tis the set of the soul that decides its goal, and not the calm or the strife."
Have you noticed that the same difficult circumstance that lays one person low, lifts another to incredible heights?
"Tis the set of the sails and not the gales, which tells us the way to go."
Clearly, Paul had set his sails: "That I may… become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him." And he refused to compromise or be sidetracked.
Intimacy with God was his all-consuming goal. Is such a goal reached easily? No! It means never quitting, giving yourself ample time. You can't put Godliness on a schedule. Spiritual disciplines must be worked with until they become enduring habits. Your mind needs time and experience to assimilate them. And like any new model of behaviour they must be wrestled with, talked through, come to terms with, and tried on. With time, a few of them will begin to settle in and become a consistent lifestyle. Looking back, you'll discover you've actually changed.
How?
You set your sails in a new direction and you are no longer hopelessly blown by the winds of impulse, circumstance, expediency, popular opinion or self-interest.
Christ-likeness is a journey, not a destination.
So plan on a lifetime of travel. And while you're at it, be sure to enjoy the journey.