A young woman went to her mother and informed her about her life and how difficult things were for her. She wasn’t sure how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. As soon as one issue appeared to be resolved, another developed. Her mother took her into the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed them on high heat. Soon, the pots began to boil.

In the first, she placed carrots, then eggs, and finally ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying anything. After around 20 minutes, she turned off the burners. She fished out the carrots and put them in a bowl. She took out the eggs and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee into a bowl. She asked her daughter, “Tell me what you see.”

“Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she answered. Her mother drew her closer and asked her to touch the carrots. She did and observed how silky they were. The mother then urged her daughter to take an egg and break it. After removing the shell, she looked at the hard-boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked her daughter to drink the coffee. The girl smiled as she savored the wonderful perfume. The daughter said, “What does it mean, Mother?”

Her mother said that each of these artifacts had encountered the same difficulties. Water is boiling. Everyone reacted differently. The carrot came in strong, hard, and unyielding. However, after being exposed to hot water, it melted and weakened. The egg had been delicate. Its thin outer shell had preserved its liquid interior, but after sitting in boiling water, the inside solidified. However, the ground coffee beans were distinctive.

They changed the water after they’d been in the boiling water. “Which are you?” she questioned her daughter. “What do you do when faced with adversity? “Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean? Consider this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that appears to be powerful, but when confronted with sorrow and difficulty, I wilt, wilt, and lose strength?

Am I the egg with a pliable heart that changes in response to heat? Did I have a flexible spirit before a death, a breakup, financial struggle, or other adversity, but have I hardened and stiffened as a result? Does my exterior appear the same, but on the inside, am I bitter and tough, with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?
Or am I like a coffee bean?

The bean alters the hot water, which causes the pain. When the water becomes hot, it releases the smell and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you improve and change the situation around you. When the hour is darkest and the hardships are most severe, do you elevate yourself to a higher level?
How do you manage adversity? Are you an egg, a carrot, or a coffee bean?