A daughter complained to her father about 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 struggling. It seemed that as soon 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 a bowl. Then he ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.
Turning to her he asked. “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 said, “What’s the point?” He explained that each of the items had faced the same adversity -
boiling water – but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong and hard. But 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?” he asked his daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?”
{ 40 comments… read them below or add one }
Much as I would love to say that I am a coffee bean, I think I am a carrot
Happy weekend one and all.
Simon, what you experience and what many of us likely see and experience of you, may be very different indeed. Peace to you my brother, and every prayer and affection always.
Simon,
I, too, fear that I am a carrot.
Paul
I love this parable. For whatever reason Lee Ann Womack’s song “I Hope You Dance” came to mind, with the verse…
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens
Promise me that you’ll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance…
Well don’t just sit there, get out of your chair and start dancing!
Have a great weekend everyone, Palm Sunday is coming up…
Tim,
Not only do I feel like a carrot, I’m too scared/embarrassed to get up and dance.
Paul
I can’t dance
I’ve been ordered to “bedrest” 
I fear in my attempt to entertain myself, I’m going to drive everyone bonkers!! Someone please tell me if I get too “out there”……aaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!
Love the story.
Simon, from what I read of your posts, I think you’re coffee. Most of us go through life thinking we’re one thing, and people see us in a completely different way.
Here’s to the coffee drinkers!
Have a great weekend everyone.
Bob
Bob,
Glad you liked the story. I also salute the coffee drinkers.
Paul
I have heard this and can never hear it too much. I think of all the carrots, coffee and eggs that I have been over time… and will be all of the above, over and over again.
Thanks and every blessing of Palm Sunday to all! We are Hosanna people!
My heart goes with Simon because I feel like a carrot at the moment. But then, like Fran says, we are undoubtedly carrot, coffee and egg at one point or another.
We are Hosanna people! I will keep this as my mantra, Fran. Thanks!
Fran,
Heading into Holy Week, it’s good to be reminded that we are Hosanna People.
Paul
Agree, Fran – I am at times the carrot, the egg and the coffee beans. The season of Lent gives us the opportunity to examine where we are and where God is calling us.
Susan,
You are a wise woman, indeed.
Paul
I love this story! The significance for me is that the focus is not simply on how the individual person responds – whether he/she is weakened or strengthened by adversity – but there’s also the posssibility that we can bring about real change in the world around us. That’s what really makes struggle seem worthwhile to me!
Cathy,
How good it was for you to take this story beyond the merely individual level. A great insight. Thank you.
Paul
I also see Simon as a very strong person. This story gripped me in another way. My Dad was a cook and taught me many things especially around the kitchen. I was thinking though that i never really had a serious conversation with him, my loss. The week ahead will be a hard one. I wish everyone all Jesus love as we walk with Him
Josephine, you are right that Holy Week will be tough as we walk with Jesus. Palm Sunday is also bittersweet as we know what the next week brought for our Lord.
Josephine how wonderful that you had the experience of learning to cook from your dad. I bet you often feel his presence in the kitchen as you prepare your meals. My grandmother taught me to knit. For me, whenever I pick up my sticks, I think of her and the love we have for each – it helps, even though she has been gone for 30 years.
Jo,
I join you in regrets about talking with my father. By the time I was ready for a serious conversation with him, he had already begun to slip away. I can’t wait to meet him again in the Reign of God.
Paul
I also appreciate this story and I know that often I’m carrots and eggs but I do pray to be coffee everyday – or could we change that to tea for us tea drinkers!
Let’s really dance on Palm Sunday!!
Lynda, I’ll add a vote for a version for tea drinkers! And yes, I suspect I’m carrots and eggs – but pray to be coffee/tea.
Lynda,
Let’s hear it for the tea!
Paul
This metaphor has a lot of room for elaboration. You could be a chicken, for example, both becoming soft and weak AND changing the water. Or you could be salt or sugar. Or cornstarch! And what would that mean?
It seems like a good metaphor to keep in mind, anyway. The important thing is not whether you ARE a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean, but whether you are TRYING TO BE a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean.
It seems to me that while they may let themselves be changed by the experience of adversity — both the egg and the carrots are better for having been cooked.
Sometimes my weak, scared heart needs to be made stronger.
Sometimes my hard heart needs to be softened.
And sometimes — I just really need a cup of coffee.
Hope we all have a prayerful, loving Holy Week.
And I always need the wisdom to know the difference.
Jim,
Wow. I really appreciate your insight into this. I’ll try harder to be tea.
Paul
I dunno but I think I’d rather be the chef.
That made me laugh! I do like to be in charge…
I’ve got loaves of sourdough bread rising, and this made me think about what it take to make bread. My work, my hands, surely, but without the life within – the yeast – nothing would come of it.
Mike,
Good on you. I’m a rotten cook so the thought of having to be the chef is rather daunting for me.
Paul
But they all have thier purpose, so that matters too. The carrot and the egg are very good for you and the coffee perks you up! Whatever we are, we simply are. I don’t really identify with any of them all the time, mostly I feel like an overcooked piece of spaghetti!
Annette,
I am amazed at the variety of responses to this story. Yours very much included.
Paul
This brings to mind the Emperor Moth. The moth itself is very large. Its cocoon is bottle shaped. In order for the moth to emerge from the cocoon it has to force itself through that narrow opening at the top of the bottle. It takes quite some time and an enormous struggle for it to do so. What is known about the emperor moth is that the struggle is what forces fluid into its wings, without which it can’t fly. When the top of the cocoon is cut to make the process less of a struggle for the moth, it dies. Its hard to watch another struggle under what seem like impossible odds. Sometimes, the struggle is what the Creator had planned.
You will be a very wise mother some day
Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmm……..someday is not too far off
Emma,
I never knew that. Thanks for broadening my horizons!
Paul
Carrots, eggs, coffee. All are ok………as long as they’re organic and in the case of the coffee from sustainable sources……the eggs must be from free range chickens!!
Emma,
HA!
Paul
Thank you for this story.
Maybe i am an egg. too much armour.
working on it though.
Thanks Fran, we are Hosanna People.
Let us dance….
Blessings upon everyone
Carol,
How we struggle to be ourselves and let God love us just as we are.
Paul
I am touched by the charitable thoughts folks but if only you knew :-/
Simon,
I doubt if you can put it down to people being “charitable.” We’ve seen your gumption many times.
Paul