I never get tired of hearing this. Pastor Ron, Pastor Pat, and the kind lady whose name I forgot at the church dinner the other night gave the same sermon. If you can get past the word 'sermon' you might agree with me that this is a wonderful story and so very, very true.
There once was a young married woman. She and here husband were having many problems, so she went to her mother for advice. The mother listened, as a mother should, and sat quiet for a few moments when the daughter had finished. Finally, she rose, and gathered up three pans, filled them with water, and set them on the stove to boil.
When the water was boiling, the mother went to the fridge and pulled out three items: a carrot, an egg, and a few coffee beans. She put each item in it's own pot, and let them boil for around 20 minutes.
After that time, the stove was turned off, and the daughter, who had been watching and was confused, asked her mother what was the point.
"The point," said the mother, " is how each item has reacted to their adversity-the boiling water."
The mother then told the daughter to carefully pick up each item.
"THe carrot," said the mother as the daughter picked it up, "was proud. hard. tough. The water-it's adversity-turned it soft. sad. It will never be it's prideful self again."
The daughter nodded and picked up the egg.
The egg, had a tough exterior, and a mallow heart. The water-it's adversity- changed all that. Now, the egg is so tough,but it's shell is fragile. The once soft heart within is now hardened.
The daughter approahced the third pot, and made an 'ummmmm' sound at the aroma that periminated the air.
The mother smiled. "The coffee bean is what you wish to be like," she said.
"How?" the daughter asked.
"Because, the coffee bean, the smalles of the objects, made the biggest change," the mother explained. " You see, the coffee bean did not have a tough exterior. It went in as it was-a coffee bean. When it went through the adversty, the bean changed the avertisy. It changed the water, by giving all that it had. It still went through the 'pain' of transition, but, instead of growing bitter or hard, it gave of itself, and changed the flavor of the water.
Whats the point of all this?
No matter what you go through, there is someone else out there who has it worse.
I take the case of Japan and myself.
I used to live in my car. I used to live in a tent wtih my children , a blanket for a door.
Yet, I had no reason or right to do so.
Why?
If I was stilll in that situation, I Would stil have no coplains. Someone i n Japan wouold be wishing for a blanket to wrap thier loved one in, or to warm them after such a violent wave of dscontent. Someone also would say- at least you can hug your children. mine were just swept out to sea. Or even, you have food, you have water. a place to lay your head. Mine, everything I had, everything was swept out thanks to the water.
When it comes right down to it, someoene always has it worse than you. The question is- what are you going to do about it?
It also does not mean that you do for others and naught for yourself, You are still going through adversity. It is how you go in, and what you let out of your true stelf, that sets the stage.
So , will you be like the coffee beans, and help someone else in need-that way, letting the flavor, aroma, and scent that is you?
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