thank you Sherri it's a wonderful way of encourageing other's. syl
"The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything." ~Sylvia ----- Original Message ----- From: "Sherri Crum" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, April 24, 2007 1:30 PM Subject: [RecipesAndMore] The Seed > > Hi All, > > someone sent this to me and I thought some of you might enjoy it. > > Sherri > > I pray this is an encouragement to you! > > "I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will > have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Messiah." > Philemon 6 > > The Seed > > An emperor in the Far East was growing old and knew it was time to > choose his successor. Instead of choosing one of his assistants or his > children, he decided to do something different. He called young people > in the kingdom together one day. > > He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next emperor. I > have decided to choose one of you." *The children were shocked , but > the emperor 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 this > one seed. I will then judge the plants t hat you bring, and the one I > choose will be the next emperor." > > One boy, named Ling, was there that day and he, like the others, > received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his mother the story. > She helped him get a pot and planting soil, and he planted the seed and > watered it, carefully. Everyday, he would water it and watch to see if > it had grown. > > After about three weeks, some of the other youths began to talk about > their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow. Ling 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 Ling didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure. > > Six months went by--still nothing in Ling's pot. He just knew he had > killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had > nothing. Ling didn't say anything to his friends, however. He just kept > waiting for his seed to grow. > > A year finally went by and all the youths of the kingdom brought their > plants to the emperor for inspection. Ling told his mother that he > wasn't going to take an empty pot. But his mother asked h im to be > honest about what happened. > > Ling felt sick at his stomach, but he knew his mother was right. He > took his empty pot to the palace. When Ling arrived, he was amazed at > the variety of plants grown by the other youths. They were > beautiful--in all shapes and sizes. Ling put his empty pot on the floor > and many of the other children laughed at him. A few felt sorry for him > and just said, "Hey, nice try." > > When the emperor arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted the young > people. Ling just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants, > trees, and flowers you have grown," said the emperor. "Today one of you > will be appointed the next emperor!" > > All of a sudden, the emperor spotted Ling at the back of the room with > his empty pot. He ordered his guards to bring him to the front. > > Ling was terrified. He thought, "The emperor knows I'm a failure! Maybe > he will have me killed!" > > When Ling got to the front, the Emperor asked his name. "My name is > Ling," he replied. All the kids were laughing and making fun of him. > > The emperor asked everyone to quiet down. He looked at Ling, and t hen > announced to the crowd, "Behold your new emperor! His name is Ling!" > > Ling couldn't believe it. Ling couldn't even grow his seed. How could > he be the new emperor? > > Then the emperor said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone here 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 that would not grow. > All of you, except Ling, 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. Ling 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 emperor!" > > 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 victory. > If you plant consideration, you will reap harmony. > If you plant hard work, you will reap success. > If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation. > If you plant faith, you will reap miracles. > > So be careful what you plant, now; it will determine what you will reap > tomorrow. The seeds you now scatter will make life worse or better for > you or for the ones who will come after you. Someday you will enjoy the > fruits or you will pay for the choices you make. > > Two thousand years ago someone else told the same story with fewer > words, "What you sow, so shall you reap". > > Alan Butterworth > The Apple of His Eye Mission Society > PO Box 6977 * St. Louis, MO 63123 > web: www.appleofhiseye.org > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > cell: (314) 330-6977 > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Access the Recipes And More list archives at: http://www.mail-archive.com/recipesandmore%40googlegroups.com/ Visit the group home page at: http://groups.google.com/group/RecipesAndMore -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
