Look at this happy toad! He has such a wonderful smirk, don’t you think? This toad lives at my son’s house. He comes out at night to hunt the moths and other critters that are drawn to the light over the garage. The first night I saw him, he was sitting on the metal threshold at the front door. He didn’t move when he saw me. He did come into the house and I quickly retrieved him once he hopped into the foyer. I gently petted his forehead and spoke gently to him before I went back into the house. A couple days later he looked really faint and parched, so I provided fresh water.. he was confused. I was grateful that I saw him several more times during my visit.
I think the toads have a special place in the Lords heart. I know that frogs in the bible represent evil spirits but I hope that is not extended to toads.
Here are a few facts about toads. Did you know…..
Common toads are solitary, except during the breeding season. They excavate a shallow burrow, which they return to after foraging for prey. They are nocturnal and shelter under tree roots, stones and vegetation during the day. They shed their skin regularly and often eat the sloughed skin.
Females have smooth brown skin whereas breeding males have rough yellow skin. But the easiest way to tell the sex of an adult toad is to pick it up, holding it behind the forelegs. Males give a “release call” (Wikipedia)
The color of the toad varies according to the color of the soil in its habitat. If the soil is a greyish color, the toads skin tends to be greyish to blend in. If the soil is more brownish, the toad tends to be more brownish.
Being creatures of habit, you can often find them in the same place, time after time, however, because they are able to blend in with their background and remain motionless for hours at a time, they can be difficult to spot. (Animalcotner.org)
This how I feel when I come across toads:
The heart is quickened, and throbs with new and deeper love, mingled with awe and reverence, as we contemplate God in nature.55The Signs of the Times, June 4, 1874 (The Review and Herald, July 25, 1871).
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