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 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. She brought her closer and
asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft.
She then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the
shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her 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--but 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?"
Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with
pain and adversity, do I wilt and become soft 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 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 a hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes 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 hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you
elevate to another level? How do you handle adversity?
ARE YOU A CARROT, AN EGG, OR A COFFEE BEAN? I hope you enjoyed this and
it
made you think. It sure has me. I want to be the coffee bean, how about you?
--Author unknown; found circulating the Web via email.
A Fun, Faith 'n Funny Bone Feature 
