”A meaninful article you must read! ”
THE SEED
A successful Christian business man was growing old and knew it was time to
choose a successor 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 James, 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
beginning to grow. James kept checking his seed, nothing ever grew. Three
weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing. By now, others were
talking about their plants, but James 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. James 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.
James felt sick in 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 James 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. James just tried to hide in the back. ”My, what great plants,
trees, flowers you have grown,” said the CEO. ”Today one of you will be
appointed the next CEO!” All of a sudden, the CEO spotted James at the back
of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the financial director to bring
him to the front. James was shocked and nervous. He thought, ”The CEO knows
I’m a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!” When James got to the front,
the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed-James told him the story.
The CEO asked everyone to sit down except James. He looked at James, and
then announced to the young executives, ” Here is your next Chief
Executive! His name is James!” James couldn’t believe it. He 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 James, have brought me trees and plants and
flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you all substituted
another seed for the one I gave you. James 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
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 St. Paul wrote to the church at
Galatia the same story but with fewer words,
”Whatever you sow, that shall you also reap”.
(Gal. 6:7)
文章定位：
Show 後感: ”半杯滿”及 ”半杯空”, (台長)