When we sail, my husband does all our navigating. He studies the charts, plots our course, and uses a GPS. He then gives us our heading on the compass. The first few years of sailing we did not have a reliable autopilot, so we hand steered, taking shifts. It is an arduous task to hold the needle at the exact degree while wind and waves push you off course. The helmsman must constantly veer back to the correct bearing. If he lets go of the wheel, the bow will head up into the wind and the sails will flog. The boat will not make way. It’s called being “in irons.”
Our walk with the Lord is like this. We must keep our hand to the wheel, or winds of change and waves of trials will come and try to throw us off. Even our flesh attempts to put us in irons. Paul implores us to throw off things that hinder and sin that entangles, and to run with perseverance. Let’s fix our eyes on Jesus in the same way we must keep our eyes on the compass and keep repointing our bow. Let’s consider Him, thinking always about Jesus, our True North.