| View Blog
|
|
|
A successful Christian business man was growing old and knew it was time
to choose a successor to take over the business.
Instead of choosing one of his directors or his children, he decided to do
something different. He called all the young executives in his company
together.
He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have
decided to choose one of you. "The young executives were shocked, but the
boss continued. "I am going to give each one of you a SEED today - one very
special SEED. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here
one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given
you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be
the next CEO."
One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a
seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story.
She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed.
Everyday, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about
three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds
and the plants that were beginning to grow. Jim kept checking his seed,
but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still
nothing.
By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't
have a plant and he felt like a failure. Six months went by--still nothing in
Jim's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees
and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues,
however. He just kept watering and fertilizing the soil - he so wanted the
seed to grow.
A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought
their plants to the CEO for inspection. Jim told his wife that he wasn't
going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what
happened. Jim felt sick at his stomach, it was going to be the most
embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right.
He took his empty pot to the board room. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the
variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful--in all
shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his
colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!
When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young
executives. Jim just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants,
trees, and flowers you have grown," said the CEO. "Today one of you will
be appointed the next CEO!" All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the
back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the financial director to
bring him to the front. Jim was terrified. He thought, "The CEO knows I'm
a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!"
When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his
seed, Jim told him the story.
The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and
then announced to the young executives, "Behold your next Chief
Executive! His name is Jim!" Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even
grow his seed. How could he be the new CEO the others said?
Then the CEO said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a
seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to
me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not
possible for them to grow. All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees
and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow,
you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only
one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it.
Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive!"
If you plant honesty, you will reap trust.
If you plant goodness, you will reap friends.
If you plant humility, you will reap greatness.
If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment.
If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective.
If you plant hard work, you will reap success.
If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation.
If you plant faith in Christ, you will reap a harvest.
So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap
later.
Two thousand years ago Paul wrote to the church at Galatia the same story
but with fewer words, "What you sow, so shall you reap". (Galatians 6:7)
We are grass that will wither and die but the incorruptible seed of God's
Word will live forever - sow it daily into the life of your family!
(1 Peter 1: 23 - 25)
Story: *Author Unknown*
Scripture References: From the Bible
|
|
Posted by Alice on 2007-12-14 03:06:20 | Rating: | Views: 160
|
| |
|
|
| Blog Comments
|
|
|
|
Dear Alice,
There is nothing left to say except, Great Post!
Love & Peace,
jwcj
|
|
Posted by jwcj
on 2007-12-14 04:04:19
|
|
|
|
|
'jwcj': Thank you! I appreciate your comment....God bless!
|
|
Posted by Alice
on 2007-12-14 04:20:37
|
|
|
|
"HONESTY is best policy" someone has said.... Jim lucked out.... honesty usually pays off in ways we don't see...
nice post, Alice!
|
|
Posted by wlamebull
on 2007-12-14 08:04:21
|
|
|
|
|
Thank you, Alice, for this post. I found the story interesting and the moral is a very practical one.
|
|
Posted by SubTomato
on 2007-12-14 13:02:06
|
|
|
|
Great Story! I loved it!
Deb
|
|
Posted by debwrkn4jesus
on 2007-12-14 15:11:04
|
|
|
|
|
Honesty is much needed now than ever. Great story, thank you Alice.
|
|
Posted by Gwatlan
on 2007-12-15 07:25:58
|
|
|
|
'Frenchy': lol! You must be reading my mind!.....You don't know how close I came to 'Honesty is the Best Policy' being my title for this story! Thank you.....take care! :)
'Tomato': Thank you!.....God bless! :)
'Deb': I've missed seeing you around!....Now, that you're on break, hope you'll be writing more! Hope your husband is doing better! Thank you and God bless! :)
'Gwatlan': 'Dishonesty' is one of the things I most hate! Thank you for stopping by! :)
|
|
Posted by Alice
on 2007-12-16 00:54:52
|
|
|
|
|
Thank you, 'kathy'! Always enjoy reading your's, too! :)
|
|
Posted by Alice
on 2007-12-18 17:43:20
|
|
|
|
|
This story is wonderful!
|
|
Posted by Ana_stacia
on 2007-12-19 16:36:50
|
|
|
|
|
Thanks, Ana! I appreciate the comments! You and your family are still in my thoughts and prayers!
|
|
Posted by Alice
on 2007-12-21 00:40:27
|
|
|
|
I loved this story Alice. You really should get back to posting. I did some posts on my blogspot site about how the seed of desire for ministry grew into blogging. I think this URL will take you to the posts on my one month anniversary at blogspot.
http://devotionalprayerjournal.blogspot.com/2008_03 _01_archive.html
|
|
Posted by sharetheword
on 2008-04-24 09:23:05
|
|
|
|
Sorry Alice that URL didn't work. Just go to http://devotionalprayerjournal.blogspot.com/
and click on the March archives. It's the first two posts called On Month Anniversary.
|
|
Posted by sharetheword
on 2008-04-24 09:28:42
|
|
|
|
|
|
