A young&nb=
sp;woman went to her mother and told h=
er about her life and how =
things were so hard for her. She did&n=
bsp;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 ne=
w one arose.
Her mother took =
her to the kitchen. She filled three p=
ots with water and =
placed each on a high flame. Soon the&=
nbsp;pots came to boil. In the first s=
he =
placed carrots, in the second she placed&nb=
sp;eggs, and in the last she =
placed ground coffee beans. She let them&nb=
sp;sit and boil, without saying a =
word.
In about twenty minutes she&=
nbsp;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, "T=
ell me what you see.”
"Carrots, =
eggs, and coffee," she replied.
Her=
mother brought her closer and asked h=
er to feel the carrots. She did =
and noted that they were soft. The mot=
her then asked the daughter to =
take an egg and break it. After pullin=
g off the shell, she observed the =
hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked&=
nbsp;the daughter to sip the =
coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted&n=
bsp;its rich flavor and aroma.
“Let me tell =
you what this illustration means." =
Her mother explained that each of these&nbs=
p;objects had faced the same =
adversity – boiling water. Each reacted dif=
ferently.
The carrot went in strong,&nbs=
p;hard, and unrelenting. However, after being =
subjected to the boiling water, it softened=
and became weak.
The egg&nb=
sp;had been fragile. Its thin outer shell&n=
bsp;had protected its liquid =
interior, but after sitting through the boi=
ling 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&nb=
sp;asked her daughter. "When adversity knoc=
ks on your =
door, how do you respond? Are you a&nb=
sp;carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?"
Am I the carrot that see=
ms strong, but with =
pain and adversity do I wilt and becom=
e soft and lose my strength?
=
Am I the egg that starts with a&=
nbsp;malleable heart, but changes with the =
heat? =
Did I have a fluid spirit, but after&n=
bsp;a death, a breakup, a financial =
hardship or some other trial, have I b=
ecome 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?
O=
r am I like the coffee bean? The =
bean actually changes the hot water, =
rhe very circumstance that brings the pain.=
When the water gets hot, it =
releases the fragrance and flavor. If you&n=
bsp;are like the bean, when things =
are at their worst, =
you get better and change the situation&nbs=
p;around you.
When the hour is the&=
nbsp;darkest and trials are their greatest, =
;do you =
elevate yourself to another level? How do&n=
bsp;you handle adversity? Are you =
a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
=
~~
Dr Bob Griffin =
[email protected] =
www.grif.net
"Jesus =
Knows Me, This I Love!"