"Dede's Walk With
God"
The Seed
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!"
Remember...
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
So, be careful what you plant now; for it will
determine
what you will reap later
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