Boiling Water

A young woman was complaining to her father about how difficult her life had become. He said nothing, but took her to the kitchen and set three pans of water to boiling. To the first pan, he added carrots; to the second, eggs; and to the third, ground coffee. After all three had cooked, he put their contents into separate bowls and asked his daughter to cut into the eggs and carrots and smell the coffee. “What does this all mean?” she asked impatiently.

“Each food,” he said, “teaches us something about facing adversity, as represented by the boiling water.” The carrot went in hard but came out soft and weak. The eggs went in fragile but came out hardened. The coffee, however, changed the water to something better.

“Which will you be like as you face life?” he asked. "Will you give up, become hard, or transform adversity into triumph? As the “chef” of your own life, what will you bring to the table?"

We all face boiling heat at some point in our lives. Some have to endure more than others, but we all go through it. The Apostle Peter wrote: “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12). If you are not going through something difficult right now, you will.

The question isn’t “if” but “when.” When going through great difficulty, is God honored in how you respond? Are people drawn to Jesus because they see Him in you with unexplainable hope and joy?

As a coffee drinker, I connect with that opening story. The idea that we can change our surroundings, the people around us, and the culture of our families and workplaces gives meaning to difficulty we face.

Our Counseling Pastor, Bob Hassel, is such a great example of this. I knew Bob in high school as a phenomenal athlete. Ten years ago, he developed a neurological condition that has since taken away his mobility. He has some level of pain all the time. On top of that, a couple of years ago, he went through cancer treatment (unrelated to his neurological disease). And you can imagine the difficulty all this would make for his wife, Lynn. She is his 24-hour caregiver.

But Bob and Lynn are the coffee grounds in boiling water. They are a blessing to everyone who meets them. So many lives have been changed by being in their presence.

When you are facing trial, are you the egg that gets hardened, the carrot that grows soft and weak, or the coffee that changes the water?