Hmmm...which are you? Carrots, Eggs, or Coffee Beans?

Ok, everyone is so quiet on our blog. I do hope that someone is stopping by and reading my ramblings or I may start to hear an echo in here.

I was asked by the Coordinator of my MOPS group to do the Devotion for our meeting and I found that story on the Internet (actually if you do a search you will find it everywhere.) and then I found a pastor's sermon with the story integrated in it with scripture references and used that as my main source. Anyway, when I went to the site to provide a link I realized that they update the sermons each week and it is no longer there. Here is the church's website http://www.centralunitedmethodist.org/templates/System/default.asp?id=25216 and the sermon was written for Sunday, September 20, 2009 by Dr. Mark Key from Central United Methodist Church in Asheboro NC.
(Please keep in mind I changed some of it to fit in with my MOPS meeting.)

A young new mom went to her mom and told her that her life now was so difficult with the constant demands of a newborn and the lack of sleep and she went on and on about how hard things in her life were for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to just give up. She was tired and she was tired of struggling and fighting. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mom took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and place each one on a burner on high. Soon the pots started to boil. In the first pot she placed carrots, in the second pot she place eggs and in the last pot she place ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying anything.

In a few 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 beans out and poured it in a cup. And then she asked her daughter, "What do you see?"

"Carrots, eggs and coffee." She replied.

Her mom brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She noted that they were soft. Her mom told her to take the egg and break it. She observed a hard-boiled egg. Finally, she instructed her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. "What does all this mean?" asked the daughter.

Her mom explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. 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. It 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 adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond?" As a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?

Sometimes we are like the carrot, aren't we? We become weak or soft. And sometimes we have been like the egg and become hardened in response to situations around us. We may still have a shell around us that looks normal, but inside we are bitter or stiff or have hardened hearts.

God invites us to a new way of living. God invites us to respond to all the situations around us with kindness and love. And when we do, he uses us to actually change the world around us. Just like the bean changed the hot water, God, in Christ living in us changes others through us.

So, I have been very conscience of my reactions to situations in my life. I do tend to be more like the carrot or the egg, but I really want to be a consistent coffee bean. Then I find this story in Neil Cole's book, Organic Leadership: Leading Naturally Right Where You Are on pages 142-143:
"Nancy Reagan once said women are like tea bags, you find out what they are made of when they are placed in hot water. This is true for all of us. The hot water of life will draw out whatever is within us, good or bad.
If Jesus has placed his love in you, that love will come out in the decisions you make. It will also be evident in the regrets you have for poorly made decisions. His love redeems all of our good choices as well as our bad."

Hmmmmm......

So much to reflect. Take a moment. Next "hot water" situation you find yourself in, pause, and decide if you are going to be the carrot, the egg, or the coffee bean.

God Bless,
Christy