One ship drives east and another drives west
With the selfsame winds that blow.
‘Tis the set of the sails
And not the gales
Which tells us 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 a soul
That decides its goal,
And not the calm or the strife. —Ella Wheeler Wilcox

I came across this poem in Charles R. Swindoll’s So you Want to Be Like Christ a couple of weeks ago. I absolutely fell in love with it and think of these words often.

This poem gives me great pause as I contemplate which type of “sailor” I am. Does my ship take on water when the seas become rough or do I tack with the wind to keep moving forward, even if it means moving in a slightly different direction? I’d like to think I’m the latter, but it’s not by my own wisdom, strength and discernment that the waves don’t sink my ship. On the contrary, it is only with wisdom, strength, discernment and direction from God’s Holy Spirit that I am able to safely navigate life’s waters. I wouldn’t have it any other way. As I sail through life I am well aware of my limitations.