A daughter complained to her father 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 father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three
pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots
came to a boil. In one he placed carrots, in the second he
placed eggs, and the last he placed ground coffee beans. He
let them sit and boil, without saying a word.
The daughter sucked her teeth and impatiently waited, wondering
what he was doing. In about twenty minutes he turned off the
burners. He fished the carrots out and placed them in a
bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.
Then he ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.
Turning to her he asked, "Darling, what do you see?"
"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.
He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She
did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take
an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she
observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the
coffee. She smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.
She humbly asked, "What does it mean Father?"
He explained that each of them had faced the same adversity, boiling
water, but each reacted differently.
The carrot started strong, hard, and unrelenting. 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. While they were in
the boiling water, they changed the water.
~via Sermon Fodder
.
.
.
.
.