On Running Over Bambi

I was driving back from Columbus late this morning and saw a dead deer on the side of the road. This, unfortunately, is an all-too-common sight in Georgia. After driving the entire distance home, I counted a total of 6 deer that had been hit by cars in a span of 45 miles. Talk about controlling the deer population. Forget hunting season. Just hop in your car!

I hit a deer once. It was not fun. I was actually on my way to church when this happened (yes, church. I'm convinced the deer was satanic). I passed a field on my left, and the next thing I know, here comes Bambi bounding across the highway right into my car. That's right, the deer kind of hit me. It happened so quickly, but the deer came across and hit the front left side of my car. The timing was so perfect that she stuck her head out right in front of my face. She was kind of cute. Then her head hit the windshield, and she wasn't so pretty anymore. My windshield exploded into millions of tiny pieces of glass, she ripped my side mirror off, and the deer went careening across the highway before being run over by 2 more cars. Now that's a bad day for Bambi.

I was pretty shaken up by the ordeal. I wasn't really hurt, just a little scratched from some glass. My car looked horrible, though, so I just walked the 1/2 mile distance to the church to call someone (I didn't have a cell phone yet. I was 17. Now elementary school kids have them...). The car got stuck in the shop for a couple of weeks before it was fixed, all thanks to a stupid deer.

When you compare the size of a deer to a car, they don't look that big. However, when you see the aftermath of a vehicle that hits one, you start realizing just how much impact the beast can have.

As people, we have the same potential. We may think that we're only one person and that we can't do very much, but we can make an impact larger than we realize. Acts 17:6 describes the members of the early church as having "turned the world upside down." They were only a few people, and this was their impact! They made a huge difference just by living out the commands that God had given them.

I'm pretty sure that deer wasn't looking to run into a car that day. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. For us as Christians, we don't have to go around searching for opportunities to make an impact, either. Instead, if we are following the Lord closely and living out a life of faith, these opportunities will come, just like a car going 50 mph down the highway.

So be careful on the roads these days. Watch out for deer. But even more, watch the Lord and be ready to make an impact when he gives you the chance. You have more potential than you could ever imagine.

If you don't believe me, just ask Bambi.