Recently a colleague shared this story…
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
that 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 then 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.
The unknown author of the story pauses to ask the question,
"Which are you?"
As I think about you and who is reading this
e-devotional….I’m aware that some of you are single with children, others are
married with children, some have only a spouse, and some are single but all of
you are trying to move forward in your career and improve yourself. Some are working full-time, others part-time
and some of you are dealing with unemployment.
Many of you are trying to manage a job, a home, an education and
everything else in between. In the midst
of it all…you may be facing uncertain times, pain and suffering, loss and grief
and the list goes on. Adversity may be your middle name.
In his book entitled “21 Reasons Bad Things Happen to Good
People” Dave Earley says, “One of the many good things that can come from very
bad things is a clearer, bigger perspective.
More important than knowing exactly why we are suffering is the
knowledge gained of God through our suffering.
More significant than receiving an explanation for our pain is embracing
a bigger view of God through our pain.” (p. 35)
In other words, adversity gives us an opportunity to gain a
bigger perspective of God. Our God is an
all-knowing, all-powerful, all-present God who not only spoke the world into
existence, but also has all the resources to provide the very thing we need….(Psalm
50:10).
That means that no matter the adversity you face…God knows. No matter the forces against you…God is
greater. No matter how alone you
feel….God is there. No matter what you
need…God has it.
So when faced with adversity how do you respond?
The rest of the story goes like this...
"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 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 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 of your life. 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 changed by your
surroundings or do you bring life, flavor, to them?
ARE YOU A CARROT, AN EGG, OR A COFFEE BEAN?
