(You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again...)

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 and
placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she
placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in 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 you see."

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," 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 coffee. The
daughter
smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.

The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"

Her mother 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.

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 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?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you
strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.

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.
Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone
around you is crying.

You might want to send this message to those people who mean something to
you (I JUST DID); to those who have touched your life in one way or
another;
to those who make you smile when you really need it; to those who make you
see the brighter side of things when you are really down; to those whose
friendships you appreciate; to those who are so meaningful in your life.

Psalm 23:4 "Your rod and your staff, they comfort me."

The shepherd's rod represents his authority and is also used to protect, rescue, guide, and count the sheep. The staff was used for support while walking.

In the midst of trying to perform our job, please our bosses, satisfy our customers, meet deadlines, etc., we can take comfort in recognizing that our Shepherd has authority over all. He will guide and protect us as we depend on and follow Him while facing life's demands and opportunities.

Our competent, caring Shepherd wants to be our comfort today as we deal with our hurt, disappointment, weariness, confusion, concern, etc. Let's seek His comfort from the Word and from prayer. He has something to say to each of us today that will give comfort if we trust Him.

Lord, thank you for always working on my behalf, for caring about what concerns me, and for guiding and protecting me each day. I want and need your comfort.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

dave@youronedegree.com

Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are getting weak?

Why do banks charge a fee on "insufficient funds" when they know there is not enough?

Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?

Why doesn't glue stick to the bottle?

Why do they use sterilized needles for death by lethal injection?

Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?

Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you throw a revolver at him?

Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?

Whose idea was it to put an "S" in the word "lisp"?

If people evolved from apes, why are there still apes?

Why is it that no matter what color bubble bath you use the bubbles are always white?

Is there ever a day that mattresses are not on sale?

Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?

Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?

Why is it that no plastic bag will open from the end on your first try?

How do those dead bugs get into those enclosed light fixtures?

When we are in the supermarket and someone rams our ankle with a shopping cart then apologizes for doing so, why do we say, "It's all right?" Well, it isn't all right, so why don't we say, "That hurt, you stupid idiot?"

Why is it that whenever you attempt to catch something that's falling off the table you always manage to knock something else over?

In winter why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?

How come you never hear father-in-law jokes?

The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four persons is suffering from some sort of mental illness. Think of your three best friends -- if they're okay, then it's you.

This is silly but true... and it's going to drive you crazy! While sitting at your desk, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles. (To the right) Now, while doing this, draw the number "6" in the air with your right hand. Your foot will change direction and there's nothing you can do about it!

You can also do this with your left foot and draw the number 9 with your left hand. Try it and let me know when you master it.

Football finally makes sense:


A guy took his blonde girlfriend to her first football game. They had great seats, right behind their team's bench.



After the game, he asked her how she liked the experience.



"Oh, I really like it," she replied, "especially the tight pants and all the big muscles, but I just couldn't understand why they were killing each other over 25 cents."



Dumbfounded, her date asked, "What do you mean?"



"Well, they flipped a coin, one team got it, and then for the rest of the game, all they kept screaming was: 'Get the quarter back! Get the quarter back!' And I', like.....Helloooooo? It's only 25 cents!!!!!!"



"Life may not be the party we hoped for....
but while we are here we might as well dance!"