A West Texas Ride to Remember OR I Must Have Thought My God Was Too Small

My thinking it was going to be an ordinary day changed pretty quickly this morning.  I was saddled and horseback by 7:45am and off for a cool morning ride.  First rattle out of the box, a little miniature black pony comes running up to us like a long lost friend.  He sniffs and snorts at Mosey and Mosey sniffs and cocks his head a little and off goes the little horse as quickly as he came up to us.  He found some other horses across a fence close by and he decided to hang out with them.  A bit concerned he would get out into the road, it was way to early to go knocking on the doors of strangers, so we just left the little guy by the fence with his friends and off we went.

As we were strolling through the cotton patch, low and behold I see a small horny toad.

 They are around these parts, but seeing horny toads is a pretty rare sight.  I look at him and appreciate him as he sits in between the rows of cotton.  I think to myself "this might be the last horny toad I see.  There aren't many down south because the fire ants eat them.  I've only seen maybe 8 or so in the last 5 years since I've been in west Texas.  In fact, I better get off and take a photo or two because "this might be the last one I ever see".  I won't be having too many more rides out here because I'll be moving soon.".  So, I get off and take a few photos.  As I ride off I again start thinking to myself "Hays may never see a horny toad; there just aren't many; it's not likely he'll really ever visit west Texas; he might see one in a zoo or something but that's not the wild; how sad; there just aren't many of them left; they might almost be extinct or something." I am really appreciating the opportunity to see this "last" horny toad today. I ride on and see some birds swooping along the ground knowing they are gathering some of the oats that were left after harvesting.  I remember the scripture...

Matthew 6:26
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Matthew 6:25-27

I'm thinking how great God is to provide for us every day, every thing we need.  Mose and I are ambling along, minding our own business, just enjoying a fine morning.  Next thing I know, I see another horny toad.  I think "oh my goodness...it just couldn't be".  We take another step closer and I see ANOTHER horn toad.  I look again in disbelief, aghast, thinking "how could this be?  Three horny toads in one day.  But wait, there are only a few left".  I stop and watch.  I get off to shoot some more photos of the strange phenomenon of multiple horny toads in one day.  I discover that these two horny toads are "mates", they are trying to breed.  Who in the world on the day that they think they have probably seen their last horny toad, then sees two more who are multiplying at that very moment.

I was just blown away.  As I'm watching them I thinking, "wow, you better listen up here.  You are thinking God is too small and he is giving you a big lesson in 'I am not small.  Stop thinking in such limits.  Start thinking in abundance, not in limits.  Be expectant.  Expect big things.  Start thinking in beginnings not endings.  Your life is just beginning.  Your life is being refreshed.  You are going to be continuing the journey on fresh paths.  Look ahead.  Look up.  Be positive.'"  No really, all this was going through my mind as I watched these two horny toads.  What a huge message in such a small creature.

Proverbs 11:25
A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.


2 Corinthians 9:8
And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

I finally got back on my pony and let those two alone to populate the world.  All in all on this ride I saw those guys, the random little black pony, several sparrow hawks, a fox, a jack rabbit, 12 quail (also sparse in south Texas due to the fire ants), three baby lizards (I've only seen these types of lizards as grown ups), ground squirrels, a bird catch a grasshopper, and a butterfly brushed against my hand as she was flying by.  Wow, what a day.  What a message.

And the clincher, when we were almost home, we saw our fourth horny toad.

Unbelievable...no.  Just in case He hadn't convinced me to "be watchful and be expectant"...He drove the message home.

Psalm 5:3
In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.

Continuing the journey on fresh paths.

Encourage One Another!