A Lesson To Think About

Came across this today on FB. Haven't heard it for a long time but these past few weeks I have been dealing with some very hurtful issues and I think the timing is right.  I would give anything to talk with my grandmother again, I know I can't but I think this is what she would say. I miss her...

Enjoy and God Bless~

Grandmother says, " Carrots, eggs or coffee. Which are you?"

A young woman went to her grandmother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She didn't know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as though once one problem was solved another would arise.

Her grandmother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water. In the first  she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs and the last she put ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word. 

After about 20 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 granddaughter she asked her, " Tell me, what do you see?"

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

Grandmother pulled her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noticed they got soft. The grandmother then asked her to break the egg open. The granddaughter pulled off the shell and noticed the hard boiled egg. 

Finally the grandmother asked her to sip the coffee.  The granddaughter smiled and tasted it's rich aroma. The granddaughter then asked, "What is the point, Grandmother?" 

Her grandmother 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. It's thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. After sitting in the boiling water, it's insides 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 granddaughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?"

Think of that...

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 a death, break up, financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hard and stiff? Does my shell look the same on the outside but on the inside I am bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart?

OR, am I a 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 the trials are their greatest do you elevate to a different level?

Author Unknown