Integrity in Modern Society

THE ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER

This one is a little different…

Two Different Versions…. ……… …. Two Different Morals

OLD VERSION

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long,
building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs
and dances and plays the summer away..

Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed.

The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be responsible for yourself!

MODERN VERSION

The ant works hard in the withering heat and the rain all
summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the
winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs
and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press
conference and demands to know why the ant should be
allowed to be warm and well fed while he is cold and starving.

CBS, NBC , PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of
the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in
his comfortable home with a table filled with food.

America is stunned by the sharp contrast.

How can this be, that in a ountry of such wealth, this poor
grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper and
everybody cries when they sing, ‘It’s Not Easy Being Green.’

Acorn stages a demonstration in front of the ant’s
house where the news stations film the group singing, ‘We shall
overcome.’

Rev. Jeremiah Wright then has the group kneel down to pray to
God for the grasshopper’ s sake.

President Obama condemns the ant and blames President Bush,
President Reagan, Christopher Columbus, and the Pope for the
grasshopper’ s plight.

Nancy Pelosi & Harry Reid exclaim in an interview with Larry King
that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and both
call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair share.

Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity & Anti-Grasshopper Act
retroactive to the beginning of the summer.

The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of
green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive
taxes, his home is confiscated by the Government Green Czar
and given to the grasshopper.

The story ends as we see the grasshopper and his
free-loading friends finishing up the last bits of the ant’s food
while the government house he is in, which, as you recall, just
happens to be the ant’s old house, crumbles around them
because the grasshopper doesn’t maintain it.

The ant has disappeared in the snow, never to be seen again.

The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident, and
the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders
who terrorize the ramshackle, once prosperous and once
peaceful, neighborhood.

The entire Nation collapses bringing the rest of the free world with it.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be careful how you vote in 2010.

I’ve sent this to you because I believe that you are an
ant – not a grasshopper! Make sure that you pass this
on to other ants. Don’t bother sending it on to any
grasshoppers because they wouldn’t understand it,
anyway.

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: Deuteronomy. 30:19 (KJV)

The will of God is that you would choose life and thereby receive blessing for you, your children and your children’s children. The creation bears witness of His covenant desire.
The “life,” chay, that He wants us to choose is to live, chayah, to have a prosperous, sustainable, healthy life, that is free of sickness, discouragement, faintness and death. God wants you and I to be quickened, revived, refreshed and revived by His Spirit.
Mankind is the recipient of the most precious gift that God could give besides His Only Begotten Son; that of having a free will. He has given man the ability to choose between “life and death, blessing and cursing, God and Satan, the truth and a lie.”
He sets, as it were, a table before us and we are to take whatever we desire. Much like an earthly parent, He wills that we would choose a healthy diet that would strengthen and build. He warns us of the consequences of making the wrong choices, yet allows us to choose what we will.
As tempting as the desert dishes are, we know that to develop properly, we must balance our diet with the main course. So, too, as tempting as the things of the world are, we are called to choose the will and ways of God in order to develop suitably.
The Word of God is given as our main course. As we feast upon it we will find everything needful for life and godliness. We will be nourished properly and be full of the wisdom of God, realizing that making the right choice is vitally important.
All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. 1 Cor. 6:12 (KJV)

I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, Romans 9:1 (KJV)

Jesus is the truth:
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6 (KJV)
When we are in Christ, Who is “The Truth,” we should speak the truth, live the truth, and never, never, never lie. Satan is the father of lies and has nothing to do with the truth.
Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. John 8:44 (KJV)
The Christian must be a person whose word is trustworthy; a person of integrity. We are what we speak. Believers speak faith words, true words, honest, just, pure, lovely, virtuous words that bring a good report and are praiseworthy (Phil. 4:8 KJV)..
We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; 2 Corinthians 4:13 (KJV)
The Spirit-filled believer has a witness within that leads into all truth and warns against all lies.
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: . . . John 16:13 (KJV)
The Holy Spirit commingled together with your spirit speaks to you through your regenerate conscience. The conscience of the believer is a direct pipeline from the spirit of man to the conscious mind of man. Wherein it was unreliable in its natural state, it is now a reliable source of prompting and information from God by the Holy Spirit to your spirit. Your spirit communicates to your conscious mind by means of your conscience and thereby guards and keeps your mind.

Every community in the United States, and most governments of the world, have come to the realization that they need certain guidelines for the construction of buildings. Most have assembled knowledgeable people into departments that review and approve building plans and the subsequent construction based upon those plans. Architects, designers, contractors and engineers are but a few of the many trained personnel necessary to insure the structural integrity of both private and public buildings. The larger and higher the edifice, the greater the need for a sound structural framework to maintain its integrity. The more people the building is designed to accommodate, the more exacting the building codes that define its structural integrity.

There was a great deal of interest in the structural integrity, or lack thereof, of the Twin Towers of New York after terrorists flew airliners into the buildings September 11, 2001. If the buildings had been designed differently, it is possible that they would not have collapsed and many lives would have been spared. Many design engineers have reviewed the strengths and weaknesses of those two edifices in order to avoid a similar disaster in the future. There also appeared to have been breaches in the flow of intelligence information which may, or may not, have averted the terrorist attacks. Various governmental security agencies were isolated one from the other and this hindered the assembly of pieces of information that might have waved a red flag ahead of time and, quite possibly, may have saved multiplied hundreds of lives.

As was mentioned before, the space shuttle Columbia would have brought its precious cargo home safely had there been the structural integrity to dissipate and withstand the heat of atmospheric re-entry. It suffered a similar weakness in its make up to the infamous sea going cruise ship Titanic. That “unsinkable” luxury liner broke apart after hitting an ice berg and many, many lives were lost. It was just a simple lack of structural integrity coupled with the over confidence of Captain and crew.

When New Orleans was hit with the force and fury of hurricane Katrina in 2005, the safety of its inhabitants rested heavily upon the structural integrity of the dikes that held the sea at bay. Unfortunately, the wind driven waters had more force than the old dirt levy’s could withstand and gaping holes allowed great volumes of water to flow into the basin like area in which the people of New Orleans lived. Contributing to the problem was that the original integrity of the surrounding area, which would have slowed the winds and provided drainage for the vast amounts of water, had been breached by land developers eager to profit from low priced swamp lands. Acres of trees were removed and houses and businesses were built on land fill without thought to the proper drainage and wind breaks needed to withstand such a powerful storm.

As surely as there needs to be a strong framework for a building, a sea going vessel, an airplane, a bridge, tunnel or dike, there needs to be a structural framework for a community of people. This structure is not a physical structure so much as it is an ethically moral structure that holds a society together against every one of the storms of life.

According to lawyer, theologian and preacher, Charles Grandison Finney, No community, or group of people:

. . . can perfectly harmonize in all their views and feelings, without perfect knowledge, or to say the least, the same degree of knowledge on all subjects on which they are called to act. But no community ever existed, or will exist, in which all possess exactly the same amount of knowledge, and where the members are, therefore, entirely agreed in all their thoughts, views, and opinions. But if they are not agreed in opinion, or have not exactly the same amount of knowledge, they will not, in every thing, harmonize, as it respects their courses of conduct. There must, therefore, be in every community, some standard or rule of duty, to which all the subjects of the community are to conform themselves. There must be some head or controlling mind, whose will shall be law, and whose decision shall be regarded as infallible, by all the subjects of the government. However diverse their intellectual attainments are, in this they must all agree, that the will of the lawgiver is right, and universally the rule of duty. This will must be authoritative, and not merely advisory. There must of necessity be a penalty attached to, and incurred by, every act of disobedience to this will. If disobedience be persisted in, exclusion from the privileges of the government is the lowest penalty that can consistently be inflicted. The good, then, of the universe imperiously requires that there should be a moral governor. Government must be founded in a good and sufficient reason, or it is not right. No one has a right to prescribe rules for, and control the conduct of another, unless there is some good reason for his doing so. There must be a necessity for moral government, or the administration of it is tyranny. Moral government is indispensable to the highest well-being of the universe of moral agents. The universe is dependent upon this as a means of securing the highest good. This dependence is a good and sufficient reason for the existence of moral government. Let it be understood, then, that moral government is a necessity of moral beings, and therefore right.¹With his insight in mind, we must consider that our very nature and circumstances demand that every group of people should be under some form of moral government in order for them to live together harmoniously. The question that recurrently arises in the minds of many is, who or what establishes the ethical basis for this government? If one is not willing to accept that there is a God who created all that we have knowledge of and even all that we do not yet have an awareness of, it makes the critical need for an absolute rule of order an ideal that is virtually impossible.

Why, exactly, do we need moral integrity? What, exactly, is moral integrity? Can there be individual integrity without a moral basis?

There is no possibility of the successful development of a society without a common value system to order the daily affairs of its members. It simply cannot withstand the pressures or heat that it must move through any more than the could the Titanic or the Columbia. Even if there are only two individuals, there must be a set of ground rules by which one may relate to the other. In fact, an individual cannot function alone without a certain sense of purpose and worth. In other words, there must be a proper sense of being and adequate rules to live by. Recognizing this basic human need brings us face to face with the need to question who, or what, has the right to mandate or decree a set of moral values that could be the framework or basis of integrity? Is mankind left to itself to develop and establish such a critical framework for interpersonal relationships, or is there someone who holds the right to hold the plumb line from which all society might gain direction?

We cannot speak of being moral without believing that there might be an absolute standard of behavior that would qualify a person as being moral or immoral. If, as we read in Chapter One, integrity is partially defined as, the quality of having strong moral principles, then morality must be defined to the degree that all people within a given community could agree as to the absoluteness of its standard. And if we understand being moral to mean being concerned with the principles of right and wrong behavior, the goodness or badness of human character, and adhering to a code of behavior that is considered right or acceptable, or a standard of behavior, a principle of right and wrong, then we begin to see the need for an established and accepted norm of moral values.

Reverend James Robison, in his article, Defining Evil, distributed in August, 2006 observes the following concerning this very thought:

There is much in our world that doesn’t make sense. Today, we discover another plot to commit mass murder. Tomorrow, someone will try to justify it. Just when logic and wisdom tell you that something is right or wrong, a whole hoard of voices tries to convince you differently.

Hezbollah shattered the fragile peace between Lebanon and Israel by crossing an internationally-recognized border to kill and capture Israelis, then began a rocket attack that has surpassed 2,000 launches in three weeks, yet the United Nations condemns Israel for a “disproportionate response.” Islamo-fascists have routinely rioted, bombed and terrorized Europe, yet many Europeans view America as the greatest threat to world peace.

Domestically, millions of living human beings have been killed while still in the womb, yet those opposing abortion are labeled as oppressors of liberty. Homosexual activists continue to impose their sex acts upon a nation that prefers monogamous, heterosexual families, while blasting defenders of marriage as “radicals” and “hate mongers.”

When former President George W. Bush vetoed a bill to fund embryonic stem cell experiments on moral grounds (instead favoring more advanced, alternate stem cell research), Iowa Senator Tom Harkin viciously attacked him for standing up for his convictions. “He is vetoing it because he says he believes it is immoral,” Harkin said. “Mr. President, you are not our moral Ayatollah — maybe the president, nothing more.”

Apparently, possessing any sense of right and wrong makes you the most radical of extremists. If that’s the case, then count me in. I do believe in right and wrong, good and evil. (And what’s with the phrase “maybe the president?” Does Harkin still view Al Gore as “the real president?”)

Everyone wants to claim the moral high ground, but who determines which way is up? What is right and what is wrong? Is it larger than the individual person, or do we each decide what is right in our own eyes?

To determine right and wrong, we need to start with some absolutes: what is evil and what is good. Here are a few thoughts and examples. There are many more.

a. Goodness values life. Evil destroys it.

b. Goodness protects innocence. Evil exploits it.

c. Goodness regrets the loss of innocent human life. Evil dances in the streets in celebration.

d. Goodness seeks reconciliation. Evil never forgets and certainly never forgives.

e. Goodness shares the blessings of wealth and abundance. Evil hides and hordes it.

f. Goodness honors truth and justice. Evil rewards deceit and tyranny.

g. Goodness tears down evil in order to rebuild a better society. Evil targets goodness in order to create chaos.

h. Goodness produces prosperity. Evil results in poverty.

i. Goodness enables common people to reach their full potential. Evil subjugates all people to prevent any success.

j. Goodness finds cures to diseases that plague mankind. Evil releases disease to annihilate populations.

k. Goodness expresses heaven on earth. Evil brings hell.

As we debate the merits of various social policies and political positions, we must return to absolute truth to evaluate our decisions. We all like to think of ourselves as “right,” but at the same time, are we “good?”

Most of the West is “great” because the people are “good.” If we fail to hold to goodness, we risk falling prey to all kinds of evil

Integrity is defined in the Oxford University Press dictionary as, “(1) the quality of having strong moral principles. (2) the state of being whole: the condition of being unified or sound in construction, internal consistency or lack of corruption . . .”.¹ This leads us to understand that it is the quality of being honest and morally upright as well as the state of being whole, complete or unified.

On Saturday, February 1, 2003, at the end of the 16 day mission, the Columbia Space Shuttle broke into pieces. The sixteenth day, just sixteen minutes away from landing, all seven of the astronauts died. This tragic event took place, quite possibly, because an individual, or a group of individuals, did not maintain the integrity of the mission.

The lack of integrity is what I call, “The Tile Effect.” During the short mission seven men and women from three nations rode the Columbia into the sky. They would see the creation of God from a perspective that most will never have an opportunity to see. Their goals were noble. The youth of their respective nations saw them as heroes and heroines, role models of the highest order.

Their well being, their very lives, rested in the hands of the ground crew. Oh, they had their part to play, but only mission control could see what they could not see; a piece of foam, frozen solid and caked with ice broke off and hit the wing. It was reported as a small thing, “nothing of any significance.” This was something that had happened before and caused no problem. Just a few tiles broken; a few heat tiles missing. Nothing to worry about. Nothing to pay any attention to.

Really? That was the wing where the problem began. What was the problem? Well, it was reported that nobody paid any attention to the monitor camera that would have told the story. Someone didn’t think it was important enough to fix the out-of-focus camera. Just a small thing in the midst of a big mission. Right?

Oversight? Complacency? Laziness? Who will ever really know? One thing is sure. Seven are dead (Not to mention that the billion dollar Columbia Space Shuttle is gone). What a waste of tax payer dollars.

Could it be “the tile effect”? A few small tiles missing in an area where the heat of reentry would damage critical systems? Would a higher degree of mission integrity have made a difference? We have seen the outcome. Now we wait to hear the explanations, or will they be excuses, simply forgotten as they are kept out of the public eye?

All of the information that might shed light on the cause of the disaster has not been released in detail complete enough for a final analysis. One thing is sure: No one wants to admit that they might be responsible, even in part. None-the-less, because of the actions, or lack thereof, of one or two people on a highly skilled, qualified, brilliant and gifted team, all had to experience the agonizing result. All watched their monitor screens in horror and unbelief as Colombia and her crew vaporized in the heat of reentry.

Another launch took place July 26, 2005 and the re-entry was successfully completed August 9, 2005 at Edwards Air Force Base in the Southern California desert, capping a 5.8 million mile journey, albeit only after extensive in-space repairs were completed on the heat shield tiles that protect the vessel and its contents from the searing heat of reentry.² Had these necessary repairs not been carried out properly, the mission would have ended in yet another disaster with it’s resultant loss of life.³Corporate scandals, like Enron, World Com, and many others, along with shady home loan practices that have sent our nation into an economic turmoil have signaled the great need to resurrect integrity in the market place. Situational ethics reign. No one seems to be willing to take responsibility for error, but everyone wants to profit at the expense of others. Unfortunately, real life ethics can be seen in the following short story that my daughter recently sent me via email called The Donkey and The Raffle:

A city boy, Kenny, moved to the country and bought a donkey from an old farmer for $100.00. The farmer agreed to deliver the donkey the next day. The next day the farmer drove up and said, “Sorry son, but I have some bad news, the donkey died.” Kenny replied, “Well then, just give me my money back.” The farmer said, “Can’t do that. I went and spent it already.” Kenny said, “OK then, just unload the donkey.” The farmer asked, “What ya gonna do with him?”" Kenny, “I’m going to raffle him off.” Farmer, “You can’t raffle off a dead donkey!” Kenny, “Sure I can. Watch me. I just won’t tell anybody he is dead.” A month later the farmer met up with Kenny and asked, “What happened with that dead donkey?” Kenny, “I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at two dollars a piece and made a profit of $898.00.” Farmer, “Didn’t anyone complain?” Kenny, “Just the guy who won. So I gave him his two dollars back.” Kenny grew up and eventually became the chairman of Enron.⁴We live in a society that has lost its moral moorings. It appears as though the business owner no longer feels any obligation to care for his employees. Nor is there evidence that many employees feel a responsibility to be their best for their employers. It would seem that moral values have become lost in the personal agendas of an ever devolving quagmire of self-serving, self-aggrandizing, self-profiting, self-promulgating and self-promoting cadre of leaders. By leaders, I might here mention that my understanding of the word comes from author and speaker John Maxwell who says, “leadership is influence, nothing more and nothing less,”⁵ and the definition found in the Oxford University Press, which states that a leader is “a length of filament attached to the end of a fishing line to carry the hook or fly.”⁶ I in no wise attribute the quality of character one might expect of true leaders to those who live the current fad of situational ethics. They are not only like reeds blown in the wind but are baiting others to take the hook of destruction that is tied to the rod of correction held by those offended, and more importantly, by the only “Righteous Judge.”⁷Our society is permeated with what appears to be a double standard of ethical norms of behavior. Our thinking appears to be suffering from breaches in the integrity of sound logic. This generation has found itself embracing corrupt unionism to forcibly extract unnecessary dues to be unjustly used to pursue political power while setting aside sound biblical teaching that establishes a set of rules of consideration for employees and employers in the market place:⁸Imagine what kind of work environment it would engender if workers were “obedient to those who are your physical masters, having respect for them and eager concern to please them, in singleness of motive and with all your heart, as [service] to Christ [Himself]” (Eph. 6:5 AMP). Add to that the commitment of business owners and CEO’s to “act on the same [principle] toward their employees and give up threatening and using violent and abusive words, knowing that He Who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no respect of persons (no partiality) with Him” (Eph. 6:9 AMP). These admonitions carry extremely sound advice that give integral structure to the marketplace and are repeated throughout the Bible that so many have attempted to remove from the consideration and esteem of this community called humanity.

The Book of Colossians advises workers to:

Obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not only when their eyes are on you as pleasers of men, but in simplicity of purpose [with all your heart] because of your reverence for the Lord and as a sincere expression of your devotion to Him. Colossians 3:22 (AMP)

To those in charge it is repeated, “[on your part] deal with your [workers] justly and fairly, knowing that also you have a Master in heaven” (Col. 4:1 AMP). Each of the following verses found in the time tested Scripture deal with integrity in the marketplace:

Let all who are under the yoke as bond servants esteem their own [personal] masters worthy of honor and fullest respect, so that the name of God and the teaching [about Him] may not be brought into disrepute and blasphemed. Let those who have believing masters not be disrespectful or scornful [to them] on the grounds that they are brothers [in Christ]; rather, they should serve [them all the better] because those who benefit by their kindly service are believers and beloved. Teach and urge these duties. 1 Timothy 6:1-2 (AMP)

[Tell] bond servants to be submissive to their masters, to be pleasing and give satisfaction in every way. [Warn them] not to talk back or contradict,

Titus 2:9 (AMP)

[You who are] household servants, be submissive to your masters with all [proper] respect, not only to those who are kind and considerate and reasonable, but also to those who are surly (overbearing, unjust, and crooked).

1 Peter 2:18 (AMP)

There is a “tile effect” that is causing a melt-down in society as the heat and pressure of a life that considers following biblical mandates to be archaic and therefore to be set aside to make room for self-serving motives. The resulting collapse of corporations, the loss of the space shuttle, and yes, even the utter destruction of nations inevitably follows the breakdown of moral integrity. This, in fact, is what brought about the world-wide economic crisis that began in the year 2007. What starts as a small, seemingly insignificant oversight or deception begins a domino effect that eventually destabilizes everything, and everyone, near or connected, to it.

The slightest lie, oversight, deception, postponement, or lapse of attention, will eventually bring about a catastrophic event. There is no escaping the fact that we do reap what we sow. “Do not be deceived and deluded and misled; . . . For whatever a man sows, that and that only is what he will reap” (Gal. 6:7 AMP). These considerations have been the catalyst that brought me to the place where I felt the need to address what appears to be a critical need for a revival of integrity in this and succeeding generations.

As we consider this subject I would like to ask a couple of questions that I have had to ask myself: How is your spiritual “camera”? How much attention are you paying to the “mission”? What small thing have you overlooked in this critical mission called life? In what situation did you look the other way? Was your integrity breached? Were you unable to stand for what is right? Were you unwilling to pray? Were you unwilling to take the time to intercede? What will your “tile effect” (the principle of sowing and reaping) bring to your life and to the lives of your family members, friends or team? How many will die? What will be lost? Who will be lost?

Put yourself in the following scenario and think about what you might do in a similar situation:

A successful 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 to 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 Officer!

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 Officer!”

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, you will reap a harvest

So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap later