A Carrot, An Egg, and A Cup of Coffee

 

(This is a story I saw recently in the Saint Antony Messenger, published by the Coptic Monastery of St. Antony in Barstow, CA. It has a good message, and hope you will enjoy it too.)


A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up; she was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. she let them sit and boil, not saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see."

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," the daughter replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted they were soft. The mother then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversary - boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique however. After they were in the boiling water for a while, they changed the water.

She asked her daughter then, "Which are you?" "When adversity knocks at your door, how do you respond - are you a carrot, and egg, or a coffee bean?"

Think of this: which am I?? Am I the carrot that seems strong but with pain and adversity do I wilt and lose my strength?  Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship, or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or, am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstances that bring the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. if you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is darkest and trials are at their greatest do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity - are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. May we all be COFFEE!!!!!