A Carrot, An Egg, and a Cup of Herbal Tea

Several years ago, I read an email and thought how the content is one of those parables Jesus might have taught. It’s a message that can help us deal with whatever life throws our way.

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 that as soon as one problem was solved, a new one arose. Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed a herbal tea bags. 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 tea out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me, what do you see?" "Carrots, eggs, and tea," she replied. Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the tea. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich herbal flavors. The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity ...boiling water. But 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. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground tea in the bag was 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? Are you a carrot, an egg or herbal tea?"

Think of 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 changes with the heat? Did you have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, became hardened and stiff which impacts your friends, and family? Does your shell look the same, but on the inside are you bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart? Or are you like the tea bag? The tea actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain and frustration. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the herbal tea, when things are at their worst, you get better and look to the Lord to help change the situation around you.

When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, the Lord’s help elevates you to another level. How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg, or herbal tea? 

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. By living your life in a daily relationship with the Lord you’ll be the one who is smiling when this life is over.

For me the tea is in the boiling water and changing the situation every minute.   

Can’t you smell the tea aroma around you?