Toads are not ugly they are just toads

One day while driving to Maryland, I saw a billboard that read "Toads aren't ugly they are just toads," and every time I think of it, it makes me smile. Over the 54+ years of my life I have caught and released many reptiles and amphibians and that tradition continued with our daughter. One day we were at church in Lancaster, and we were out near the garage turning over rocks and we found "Toady" the church toad. After scooping him up we took him home and cared for him for many years, he even moved from PA to ME with us! Now, at first glance Toads seem to be unattractive, with all their "warts," but as we got to spend time with "Toady" we began to admire him. You see when we began to look past the outward appearance and saw the grand design of the Creator (God) it changed everything. Isn't that how it should be? So many times, we look at the outward appearance and actions of others and instead of taking the time to really see their inward beauty and we discard them without a second thought. When it comes to inner beauty I am challenged about my own inner beauty, in other words what are people seeing in me? I like how Peter writes in I Peter 3:3-4 (ESV) Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. "Toady," could have easily been discard for his outward appearance, but what we found was gentleness and mostly quiet, but like everything in God's creation, he was a hidden gem, and that is what we should be longing for as well!