I heard a story about a successful business man that wanted to choose a successor and called all the young executives in his company together.
“It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO,” he said.
The young executives were shocked but the boss continued. “I am going to give each one of you a seed today. I want you to plant it, water it, and come back one year from today with what you have grown. I will then judge the plants and the one I choose will be the next CEO.”
Jim was there and he went and 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 others began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.
Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew.
By now, others were talking about their plants but not Jim, he felt like a failure.
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.
A year finally went by and everyone brought their plants in for inspection.
Jim told his wife that he wasn’t going to take an empty pot. But she told him to be honest. Jim felt sick to his stomach, it was going to be embarrassing but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to the board room.
Jim was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful, in all shapes and sizes. He put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed – Jim tried hiding in the back.
When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives.
“My, what great plants 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 Jim to be brought to the front.
“The CEO knows I’m a failure! Maybe I’ll be fired!” a terrified Jim thought.
The CEO asked him what had happened to his seed and Jim told the story.
The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim.
“Behold your next Chief Executive Officer, Jim!” the retiring CEO announced.
Jim couldn’t believe it; he couldn’t even grow his seed.
“How could he be the new CEO?” the others asked.
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 impossible 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 new CEO.”
All in this story (except for Jim) wanted to take credit for something they didn’t do and in the end they lost. In today’s world we see this happening everywhere, actions don’t match what is spoken.
In the Bible, 1 John 3:18 says, “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.”
Walk in truth, honesty and respect, they will carry you through everything you encounter in life.
– Ron Legary is pastor of the Grand Forks Christian Centre.