Sharing a story sent in an email...

I've heard this story before, probably in an email. I did search for it and found an article: http://www.articlesbase.com/entrepreneurship-articles/a-true-story-about-the-seed-890560.html

A  successful  businessman 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. 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 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 boardroom.
 
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!"

How often have I missed the point? I walk in with my preconceived ideas, thinking I know what's needed only to discover God intended something entirely different?