Fat Idiot

Like any good camp counselor I was doing my best to be sociable. Sitting among a crowd at a large wooden table during lunch I spied a quiet girl. She was aloof and substantially overweight. Feeling sorry for her, I tried to initiate a conversation. "Are you enjoying camp?" I innocently asked. "Yes," she said in an oddly squeaky voice. We exchanged a few pleasantries. She didn't seem too bright. "Too bad," I thought. "When fat kids are smart, at least they've got something going for them."

One of my duties at camp was to lead worship around the campfire each evening. This was in the days when we thought nothing of combining camp songs with worship songs. Anything to get the kids involved! Since this was the last night of camp, emotions were high and we had a great time of worship. I sat on the corner of the stage feeling rather pleased with myself.

The speaker got on the stage. "All week I've been introducing you to people who've had significant life experiences with God. I've saved the best for last. The person I'd like you to meet has been with us all week. You wouldn't know it now, but she came within a few minutes of jumping off a bridge to take her own life. Born deaf, abandoned by her family, her life had been one disappointment after another. When she'd lost all hope, her friend came and coaxed her from the bridge. She introduced her to Jesus Christ, and her whole life changed. She's become a much sought-after interpreter for the deaf and even was asked to interpret for President Reagan on his last visit here."

By this time I was incredibly curious: who might this be? What an interesting person! She's been here all week? Who was she?

I soon found out. She was -- you guessed it -- the fat girl across the table from me. The one with the squeaky voice. The one I thought was missing a few marbles. Turns out the only fat idiot at that table was me.