A timely message in light of the recent storms we have experienced.
Peace, Curtis Sharif
Houston, Texas
Subject: Carrot?...Egg?...or...Coffee Bean?
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 as one problem was solved a new one arose. Her mother took her to
the kitchen. She filled three pots with water. In the first, she placed
carrots, in the second she placed eggs and the last she placed ground
coffee beans. 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 coffee out and placed it in a
bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me, what do you see?"
"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied. She brought her closer and
asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they got soft. She
then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell,
she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the
coffee. The daughter smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter
then asked, "What's the point, 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 coffee beans were 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 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 hours are
the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate to another
level? How do you handle adversity?
ARE YOU A CARROT, AN EGG, OR A COFFEE BEAN?
Don't tell GOD how big your storm is. Tell the storm how big your GOD
is!
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{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, "Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all."
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
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