Carrot, egg, or coffee bean.
Which one am I? Which one are you?

With the recent renewed circulation of “The Carrot, the Egg, or the Coffee Bean” on face book and email, many of us have become acquainted or reacquainted with some version of this story.

The tale is really a parable of sorts, used to convey the possible effects adversity can have on us and our lives. According to the parable, we are not victims of life, we have a choice in the outcome.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to read and ponder the meaning of the story in light of your own life, I encourage you to take a minute right now to read it, http://www.heartwarmingstories.net/carrot.htm Come right back though! I’d love to share some thoughts with you!

Some people seemed to take offense at the simplistic nature of the story, saying that it is way more complicated than just “deciding” to feel, think or be a certain way. Me? I thoroughly enjoyed the parable and have pondered it off and on for a while. Sure it’s simple…. But then I have found in my own life that most things are simple, I’m the one who complicates things!

In my ponderings some things have come to mind….

It’s obvious that the parable is encouraging us to be like the coffee bean. Our essence should influence and permeate our circumstances and circle of influence. The way we handle adversity in our lives should leave a lasting impression on the people in our lives.

But wait!! What if right now, I identify with the egg? What if I’m feeling a bit hardened by what life has thrown my way. What if I’ve had enough? Is it too late for me? Am I hopeless? Is it once hardened always hardened like the egg appears to be?

What if I feel more like the carrot? Soft and mushy, having lost my original resilience in the face of multiple setbacks. What if the “heat” of my life has zapped my strength? Am I doomed to live an irrelevant life, because I lack the strength to “lean in” to my life right now?

It takes a lot of work to create a magnificent coffee bean. A lot of effort on the part of others who have had our best interests at heart, there is the planting, the nurturing the pruning, and finally the time comes when the bean is liberated from its home only to be tried and tested time and time again before the final step. The fire, you see the best beans must be subjected to just the right temperature as they are roasted to mouth-watering perfection, preparing them for their ultimate purpose…the final test….Will the bean cooperate with the heat of its environment (water), allowing it to penetrate and bring out its true character? If the bean cooperates with the water together they create something new and wonderful. Something different and more beautiful than if the whole process would have been avoided. It takes a lot of adversity to create a great cup of coffee!
I want to be a coffee bean!…. I want to cooperate with God and allow the challenges in my life to penetrate my being without losing the essence of who He created me to be! I want my life to be mingled with God’s will, to create something more real, more beautiful than had there been no adversity at all. I may have been a carrot or an egg in my lifetime (probably both depending on the challenge!)
But my future is not defined by my past!! … so I choose the bean!!

I want to be a coffee bean woman!

Will you join me?
Will you transform your circle of influence by joyfully embracing and living the life you’re in?

“All power rests in the will, and so these contrary feelings, far from lowering the value of the sacrifice in My eyes, will enhance it. Know that your body and soul will often be in the midst of fire. Although you will not feel My presence on some occasions, I will always be with you. Do not fear; My grace will be with you … (Diary, 1767). sacrifice in My eyes, will enhance it. Know that your body and soul will often be in the midst of fire. Although you will not feel My presence on some occasions, I will always be with you. Do not fear; My grace will be with you” … (Sr. Faustina Diary, 1767).