I was going through the e-mails that my late Uncle Billy had sent me. This story he sent me I thought appropriate and really loved. I post this in his honor!
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"Reaping what you sow"
A successful Christian business man was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to takeover 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. Every day, 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
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." (Gal. 6:7)
This is wonderful! I've never read it before. Would it be alright if I used it on my blog in the future? I'll be sure to link back to here! What an encouragement.
ReplyDeleteYou sure can! I would really enjoy that. Let me know when posts. I am glad you stopped by. Please come back! This blogging thing is all new to me!
DeleteThank you for joining the homemaker blog hop. I am now following you. I really enjoyed this post.
ReplyDeleteThank you and hopefully we can all learn and share together!
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