Lately, a viral Facebook post has been teaching people some important life lessons. This story about the challenges of life has been shared over 300,000 times. It all starts when a young woman who is having a difficult time goes to visit her grandmother.
The young woman’s life has been a disaster recently, and she is beginning to lose hope. When she begins talking to her grandmother about how exhausting and upsetting her life has been, her grandmother abruptly walks out of the room and goes into the kitchen. The grandmother returns after 20 minutes and puts a bowl in front of the young woman without any explanation. When she asks what her granddaughter sees in the bowl, the girl replies that it is just “carrots, eggs, and coffee.”
The grandmother then asks the young woman to touch the carrots, break the hard-boiled egg, and have a taste of the coffee. The granddaughter does as she asks, but she cannot help asking her Grandmother “what does it mean?” The grandmother reveals that all of the objects had faced the trials of boiling water. The carrot started out as a hard and firm object, but the boiling water made it weak and soft. While the egg had been a delicate item, the boiling water made it tough and hard. However, the coffee beans had turned the boiling water into a fragrant and pleasant drink.
The grandmother encouraged her daughter to think about whether she was a carrot, an egg, or coffee grounds. Did she wilt and lose her strength when she faced adversity? Did her heart harden after troubles? Or would she be able to change her unpleasant circumstances into an event that would bring joy to others? After thinking about it, the young woman was blown away by the wisdom that her grandmother had provided.
Like the granddaughter in the story, it is easy for all of us to become discouraged when facing trials. However, the grandmother’s wisdom provides a valuable insight. Instead of allowing yourself to be changed by trials, it is important to instead think about how you can change these disadvantages into something that can bring joy and happiness.