Coffee

A young woman came to us and told us 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 as though just as one problem was solved, a new one arose. We took her to the kitchen. We filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In the first, we placed carrots, in the second we placed eggs, and in the last we placed ground coffee beans. We let them sit and boil, without saying a word. In about twenty minutes we turned off the burners. We fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. We pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then we ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to the young woman, we asked, "Tell me what you see." "Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied. We brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did, and noted that they were soft. We then asked the young woman to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, we asked the young woman to sip the coffee. She smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. She then asked, "What does all this mean?" We explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. 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. Which are you?" we asked the young woman? "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?" 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 I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart? Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level?
How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean? Just reading this over a hot cup of coffee, is not enough. In order to achieve this capacity in your life you must learn Chassidus. Contact us to arrange a suitable learning program.