In my Washington State elementary school we studied a variety of flora, fauna, and world scenes that I longed to see in person. Through the years, I’ve been blessed to see and experience many and even written books on some. (Check under my Books Tab at delorestopliff.com)

While studying the tropics, we learned about piranhas with triangular teeth that could strip the meat from the bones of any cow falling in a stream in one minute flat. During my three-and-a-half month mission trip to the Amazon jungle in 1980 where I helped remote mission schools, I had to cross a log across a piranha-filled stream to reach one destination. My hosts expected me to be terrified, but I’d crossed many logs over wilderness streams in Canada. The secret is to look ahead or up, never down to what is surging in the flood beneath you. I crossed the Colombian stream fine. Dinner that night was piranhas served with heads on, triangular teeth and all. They were delicious.

I prefer to eat piranhas than have them eat me. One took a chunk out of 12-year-old student Manuel’s hand as he pulled it from a net. When he couldn’t hold a pencil to write school notes, several girls were eager to help the smiling hero.

When crossing logs over “life’s” streams, no matter what’s underneath, don’t look down. What’s underneath doesn’t matter. Looking down just makes us dizzy to pull us into the swirling flow. And don’t look down or back. Remember Lots’s wife. Instead, look up to Him, and to what’s coming ahead that calls us forward. Looking in the right directions.keeps us steady and safe.

These two verses say it well. Proverbs 1:^33 “But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.”

Philippians 4:⁸  “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

Move forward with confidence!