No-Eye-Deer

Perhaps you have heard the joke… “What do you call a deer with no eyes?” No-eye-deer. Then “What do you call a dead deer with no eyes?”  Still no-eye-deer.  Some would say lunch.  My friend Matt would say lunch.  On the way to the camp location that I mentioned in my last blog entitled, “I love our God”, we were following Matt in his pick-up truck, and he was quite a ways ahead of us when he pulled over to the side of the road, we couldn’t possibly have guessed what the problem might have been.

We pulled up to the side of his truck and slid the electric window down.  “What’s up?” we asked.  “I’m going to try to shoot that deer.” Huh? “What deer?” We asked.   He said matter-of-factly “That deer right there.”  And sure enough, off the side of the road just about fifteen feet into the woods, as still as a statue, stood a deer just staring wide eyed at Matt.  Matt had seen the deer cross the road in front of him and then he saw it stop where it stood.  I think the deer had a mocking, knowing, and teasing smile on its face but I’m not positive.  The only movement was an occasional flick of his white tail.

Matt got out his bow. The deer stood there staring.  Matt got out his razor-sharp retracting arrow heads.  The deer stood there staring.  Matt screwed the arrow head into place and got ready to take a shot.  The deer stood there staring.  Matt raised the arrow to the bow and anchored it in place.  And as soon as, and as smoothly as he did that, the deer pranced calmly further into the woods.   I think the deer had a mocking and knowing smile on its face as it hopped away.  It was kind of funny.  I think Matt thought so too, but I’m pretty sure he would have rather had some deer meat in his truck bed.

I think deer are smarter than we give them credit for.  And I think some people are smarter than we give them credit for too.  You know quiet contemplative people don’t you.  People who don’t tend to say very much.  Oftentimes the view some outgoing people have of quiet people is that they ‘are not so bright’, that perhaps ‘they are not the brightest bulbs on the tree’.  But that estimation is unfair.

God’s Word says in Proverbs “A wise man (a person) will hear, and will increase learning; and a man (or woman) of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:”

And “In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.”

I’m pretty sure “wanteth not sin” means that you don’t have to listen for too long before some exaggeration, half-truth, or bold-face-lie will reveal itself…

 “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak,” James instructs us.

No. Quiet people are not necessarily stupid.  Sometimes very far from it.  Just the opposite even.  I believe it was St. Thomas Aquinas who was dubbed “The Dumb Ox” in seminary, or wherever it was he gained his knowledge.  He was called by this name and yet he was one of the deepest wells of theological insight in his time.  We owe a great deal of depth of learning to St. Thomas Aquinas so I am told.

Paul instructs those in Thessalonica to “study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands,”

Oftentimes those that are quiet are not quiet because they have “no-eye-deer” rather they are quiet because they know that their input would not be helpful at that very moment.  That you are not, will not listen.  They have insights that you can’t even imagine.  If you ask, and listen, you will learn from them.

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak,”

If we do this Jesus will increase in our lives and minds and our own lofty opinions of ourselves will decrease.  We will see ourselves as infinitely valuable to God and yet equally and infinitely undeserving.  And we will be thankful.

“He must increase, WE must decrease!”



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Take care friend.  And take time to listen.