In order for me to get to training camp last week, I had to fly from San Jose, CA to Salt Lake City, UT to Atlanta, GA — overnight.
Getting to the airport was half the battle, but I had a prayer warrior chauffeur who is an amazing behind-the-wheel pro-status stunt racer in Bay Area commuter traffic. (Thanks, Kristy!) She got me up to the Delta airline curbside and we hoisted that big ol' airporter onto the baggage scale.
43 lbs.
My heart smiled, and the corners of my mouth too, because my destination was going to be a place where I'd be checking in a lot of baggage that I'd never claim again. To go out on mission, I needed to travel light.
That thought excited me.
"So how do you discover your true value?" he asked me.
Chomping on a cheek full of mini pretzels, I turned to him and smiled. Snack time on the plane was about to get interesting.
During the boarding process, as I was scooting and shuffling, I spotted him.
My soon-to-be buddy was sitting aisle seat next to me.
Once we were up in the air, snacks in hand, I thought it appropriate to enjoy some study time.
I was re-reviewing for the third time my new favorite book: "Becoming Who You Are in Christ."
Some Jesus-time paired with crunchy, salty goodness was about to be had…
…when suddenly a finger tapped the page I was on.
And then he asked.
He goes by "Jag." He is a software engineer originally from India residing in Silicon Valley. He made me laugh when he smiled and wagged his head, as if I should have guessed — obviously. He is also a newlywed. Jag was on his way to meet up with his wife and friends for a weekend at Yellowstone.
He shifted in his seat and then he looked again to my book.
I underlined the statistic at the top of the page: Only 4% of women
describe themselves as beautiful.
"That can't be true!" He protested in disbelief, "How? It isn't true."
And then I began to share with him why I had never before believed that I was beautiful.
It was the ugly truth.
