Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?

The Story of The Carrot, The Egg, and The Coffee Bean

A young girl went to her grandmother 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 grandmother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on high fire. Soon the pots came to a 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. The she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her granddaughter, she asked, "Tell me, what do you see?"

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," the young girl replied. The grandmother 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 granddaughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The granddaughter then asked, "What does it mean, grandmother?"

Her grandmother 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?" the grandmother asked her granddaughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"

-Anonymous 

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This morning when I was waiting for the coffee to brew this story came back to my remembrance. 

Carrots - Under Pressure LOL

I wanted to share it with all of you, because I think it's important to look at how we react to adversity and struggles. When things get hard what happens to you and your character. Do you start off strong, but with pain and difficulties do you find you wilt and become soft and lose all your strength like the Carrot?

Hardened Heart I mean Boiled Eggs

Are you more like the egg that starts with a malleable heart [easily influenced], but changes with the heat? Did you have a carefree spirit, but after a death, a breakup, or a financial hardship, does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a hardened heart?

OR are you 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 flavour. I SO love this part, because COFFEE and I are like BFFs. Seriously. LOL. I mean can you imagine if the beans didn't change the water. AHHHH. 

Coffeeeee. I love you!!!

If you are like the coffee bean when things are at their worst, do you get better and change the situations around you. When the hours are at the darkest and trials are at their greatest, do you elevate to another level? 

I encourage you to begin to look at your character this year and take special note of how you react to high stress situations and circumstances that you find yourself in. Let's thrive to be like the Coffee Bean and change the situations around us and not allow them to negatively influence us! 

You can find some scriptures to ponder below!

Praying for you today. 

With Love

Jessica 

Scriptures to Ponder: 

1 Peter 5:7

7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Romans 5:3-5

3 Not only so, but we[a] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Philippians 4:13

13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Romans 8:7-18

7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. 9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. 12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. 14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

James 1:2-4

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.