Arizona Gila Monster--or Is it Just a Toad?

Last Sunday morning Rose and I were up as early as I've ever been up here. I had gone to bed early and had a good night of sleep. 

So when I woke up at 5:10, I decided it would be better to take our walk sooner than later.

And so we did! And we were richly rewarded with a beautiful walk at sunrise, with pictures I already posted in another post.

The night before, we had made a little trip up to this trail to check it out before Sunday, so we'd know where to go. 

And Rose had seen a movement in the trail! It had been dark already, so the moving creature was difficult to see, but we quickly ascertained that it was no usual creature. It had the dragon horns around the top of its head, and the first thing I thought of was a gila monster.

Leave it to me to always be imagining a monster when there is any movement!

But do gila monsters have the dragon rays? 

T

Rose tried to get her camera to cooperate to do a flash photo, but the creature was so camouflaged in the dirt, it was hard to see it even in the photo. 

"A horned toad?" she wondered.

Yes, on the way home I looked up "horned toad," and sure enough, there were pictures exactly like what we'd seen! We were quite proud of ourselves for seeing an Arizona horned toad, or at least a horned toad in Arizona.

And the next morning as we started out along the same trail, hurrying so we could get up high enough around the hill to capture the beautiful sunrise, I laughed, "I wonder if we will see that gila monster again!"

And just like that, as if on cue, something moved on the path by  my feet, and I jumped! Rose thought it was hilarious. It was the very same horned toad, dragon horns and all. 

But it was not a gila monster. 

Not at all. Most things we think might be monsters end up being quite harmless. 

As the saying goes, "Most things I worry about never happen anyway."

And when they do, we have a Hand to hold, a shoulder to be carried by, and a Lord Who walks with us--on thorny paths, in sunshine and darkness, in pain or joy. 

The dragon spikes that look so rough are harmless--because He is there with us and has promised nothing shall in any wise harm us.