I am not aware of who authored this piece, however I am very certain who inspired it.
It merely tells the story about what is given to us in abilities. We can accept an environment that has the power to change us,
or we have been given the power to change our environment. The choice is ours!
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 she placed carrots, in the second one she placed eggs, and in the last one she placed 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. The mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did, and replied that they felt soft. Then the mother asked the daughter to take the egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, the daughter observed that the egg was hard boiled. Finally, the mother asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter asked her mother "What is the point?"
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity....boiling water...but each had reacted differently. The carrot went in hard, strong , and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile, and its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside had hardened. The coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water. " Which one are you?", she asked her daughter.
When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean? Think on this. Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but then changes with the heat?
Did I have a fluid spirit, but with a death, or a breakup or a financial hardship or other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside, am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart? Or am I 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 flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hours are the darkest and the trials are the greatest, do you elevate to another level and change the situation?
Dear God, we know that you didn't create many with the title "Superman", but we know that you didn't intend to create us as weak and senseless creatures either. Please be with us each moment to remind us of the options you have provided us with. Amen