Deer along the trail to the Chimney Rock Overlook in Point Reyes National Seashore, California
Last Sunday, we were slated to lead worship at a local church. It was to be our first time leading worship at that church, and we were a bit nervous about it, even though we felt we had a good song list and we’d been told how much the people there loved to worship God in song.
One of the band members (also a hiking group member) had to run out to pick up a few things before we left for the service. As he was driving home, he passed through an area where there are trees and marshy ditches on both sides of the road – a typical wild area in the middle of where the suburbs meet the rural country.
Typical marshy area along the Hojack Trail in Webster, New York
As he dove along, a deer scrambled out of the ditch and headed straight for the passenger’s door of the car. My group member has been hit by deer before (not the other way around) and he knew the kind of damage a deer can inflict when it crashes into a vehicle.
Sometime in the split second after seeing the deer, he thought, “Jesus, help!” and “Aw, man, now I’m going to have to search for a new vehicle!”
But just before impact, the deer jumped. It flew over the car, grazed its back legs on the driver’s side roof, and disappeared into the ditch on the other side of the road.
A rural road not far from the Genesee Valley Greenway in western New York
“Where did it go?” we all asked when he told us the story. “I don’t know,” he said. “I was too busy ducking.”
I saw the car later, and there’s no doubt that the deer really did jump all the way over the car. There are two small dents in the driver’s side roof (nothing that will keep us from driving the car for a few more years). There’s also deer hair stuck in the back driver’s side window.
I’m thankful no one was hurt. I’m thankful the car wasn’t totaled. But I also wonder how many angels were lifting the deer up so it didn’t land on top of the car.
