Tuesday, January 25, 2011

I Don't Wanna Be An Egg

My daughter made these cute little carrot cake cupcakes with maple frosting and white chocolate carrots for a ladies’ church fellowship a couple of weeks ago. They were a perfect part of the goodies, because our pastor’s wife gave a devotional using a carrot, an egg, and a tea bag as an object lesson on how to face adversity.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Maple Frosting


The original story by an unknown author uses a coffee bean in place of the tea bag, but the result is still the same. It goes like this:

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. In the first pot, 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 got soft. She then asked her to take the egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to smell and sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as she smelled and tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "What's the point, 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 trials and adversity knock on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"

Hmm... if I had to answer that question, I would ask, “Is it possible to be all three?” I mean, we all face some amount of adversity at one time or another. I know it may not seem like it at times, but I do, too, and I am now. And at times I find myself weak, limp, and feeling hopeless like the carrot. At other times I would like to think I’m like the tea bag or coffee bean and changing ‘the water’. And yet at other times I find myself feeling hardened and even somewhat bitter. Hebrews 12:14, 15 say, “ Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.” I don’t wanna be an egg...





2 comments:

  1. Dear Sweets,
    I agree with your observation. I don't think we are carrots, eggs 'or' coffee beans. I think that we may take each of those roles at different times in our lives... perhaps even on different days, depending on the situation. All of us hope to effect others in a positive way... and none of us succeed every time. It is a great object lesson.
    Hey, if you are going through some deep water right now, know that I just prayed for you.

    Hugs, George

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  2. Thank you, George. That means so much. ((hugs))

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