There is a story about a redheaded young girl who constantly complained about life. As soon as she managed to overcome one problem, another would arise. The girl, about 16 years old and the daughter of a cook, was gradually losing her joy for life.
Her father, worried by seeing how his daughter was not improving or maturing in life but rather growing more bitter with each passing day due to her problems, decided to give her a lesson. One night, he asked her to help him cook. “What are we going to make?” she asked her father. “Look,” replied her father, “we have a carrot, an egg, and coffee.” Seeing his daughter’s puzzled face, as it didn’t seem like anything tasty could be made with those three ingredients, he asked her, “Which one do you identify with?” Surprised by the question, the girl pointed to her hair and answered, “I guess the carrot.”
“I agree with your answer,” her father said, but he added, “though I don’t think for the same reasons.” Without letting her speak, he continued, “Look, we’re going to boil these three ingredients in three different pots.” After they had boiled for a while, he took out the carrot and the egg and placed them on a plate, then poured the coffee into a cup. He asked his daughter, “What is the difference between the carrot, the egg, and the coffee?” The girl looked at him as if she didn’t understand the question.
“Let me explain,” said her father, and he continued, “The hot water represents the difficulties of life, which affect us in different ways. Some react like the carrot: before being placed in the water, it was hard and strong, but the water made it weak and fragile. This is how you react to problems, which is why each new problem weakens you further and makes life more bitter for you. The egg, on the other hand, was weak and fragile when we placed it in the pot, but the water hardened and strengthened it. Finally, the coffee did something superb: not only did it lose none of its flavor and aroma, but it also transformed the water by infusing it with its taste and smell.”
Carrots represent those who face problems with their passions. Passions make us feel strong and tough, but they are not how we should confront problems. In the long run, they end up weakening us and making life increasingly difficult.
Eggs represent those who face problems with virtues. Virtues are weak and fragile at first because we need to exercise them to strengthen them. The problems and difficulties of life are the way to exercise them, which is why, after each problem, if we have used them well, they emerge strengthened. In this way, we ensure that problems not only do not weaken us but instead strengthen us and help us to mature.
Coffee is like the grace of God, which transforms everything. When used to face problems, it ends up turning reality into what it itself is: a blessing from God. No matter what the problem is, grace transforms everything into grace, into a blessing from God. This is how the saints, who have faced life not only using human virtues but also, and above all, the grace of God, have managed to transform life and make it a little better.
