A Carrot, A Egg and a Cup of Coffee: A New Years Reflection
IThe Carrots, Eggs, and Coffee Beans, author unknown
“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 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, without 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 do you see?” “Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied.
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter 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 adversity – 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, they had changed the water.
“Which are you?” she asked her daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?”
Are you the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity wilts, becomes soft, and loses strength? Are you the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Does your shell look the same, but on the inside are you bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?
Or are you the coffee bean? Actually changing the hot water, the very circumstance that brings 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 the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level?”
As a brand new year streched out ahead of me, I find myself thinking about getting older and who I'll be come one day. Life has a way of sneaking up on you. It's so easy to get bogged down and feel like the world is against you. When I was a kid, I looked at adults and wondered how they got the way they are? Adults bitter about the past, frustrated by everyday life, and no goals for the future. Lately I've seen first hand how those adults got that way. Childhood friends seem like strangers. Even the ones that were close are hard to picture ever knowing. I can see the way life turns you into something unrecognizable. One day when I look in the mirror, I don't want to see a bitter, old woman with so many regrets. I think that's why this devotional hit me so hard last night. It really struck close to home. This time in my life is important. God never promised blue skies. It's how you handle the bad, that makes things good. I know that I'm not alone. Everyone's going through hard times, but its how you handle it today, that makes you who you are tomorrow. Am i the carrot, the egg, or the cup of coffee? Today is the day to decide.
“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 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, without 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 do you see?” “Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied.
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter 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 adversity – 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, they had changed the water.
“Which are you?” she asked her daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?”
Are you the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity wilts, becomes soft, and loses strength? Are you the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Does your shell look the same, but on the inside are you bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?
Or are you the coffee bean? Actually changing the hot water, the very circumstance that brings 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 the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level?”
As a brand new year streched out ahead of me, I find myself thinking about getting older and who I'll be come one day. Life has a way of sneaking up on you. It's so easy to get bogged down and feel like the world is against you. When I was a kid, I looked at adults and wondered how they got the way they are? Adults bitter about the past, frustrated by everyday life, and no goals for the future. Lately I've seen first hand how those adults got that way. Childhood friends seem like strangers. Even the ones that were close are hard to picture ever knowing. I can see the way life turns you into something unrecognizable. One day when I look in the mirror, I don't want to see a bitter, old woman with so many regrets. I think that's why this devotional hit me so hard last night. It really struck close to home. This time in my life is important. God never promised blue skies. It's how you handle the bad, that makes things good. I know that I'm not alone. Everyone's going through hard times, but its how you handle it today, that makes you who you are tomorrow. Am i the carrot, the egg, or the cup of coffee? Today is the day to decide.
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