A Chinese emperor was about to die and he had no sons to follow him on the throne. So, he decided to choose the next emperor of China. With the help of his council, the emperor gathered the smartest and most talented young men of China.
One day the emperor gave each young man a seed and asked them to go home, plant it and take good care of it. Then at the appointed time, all of them were to return to the palace and bring their plant with them. You see an emperor has to be able to take good care of his subjects.
Chang was one of the young men chosen. When he got home he did the best job he could do to plant the seed, water it and offer it plenty of sun. After weeks of waiting Chang realized his seed was dead. The hope of having a plant from the seed the emperor gave him was lost forever. Ashamed and embarrassed, Chang refused to return to the palace. However, his mom, a wise woman, encouraged her son to go, and if asked about his plant, she advised him to tell the truth, to be honest.
The appointed day finally arrived and everyone brought their beautiful plants. The emperor walked among them and asked different young men about their plants – what type each was, and what he had done to help it grow, etc.
After few minutes he noticed a boy without a plant. The emperor stopped.
“Young man, what is your name?”, he asked.
“My name is Chang, Your Majesty.”
“Where is your plant?”, asked the emperor.
“I don’t have one. Although I planted my seed, watered it every day and took the best care of it, it never sprang up, Your Majesty.”
Silence filled the room. Finally the emperor motioned to the boy to come to him.
“Chang, I choose you to be the next emperor of China”.
Everyone was shocked and with big eyes they waited for an explanation.
“I gave all of you a boiled seed,” said the emperor, “and boiled seeds are dead; they never grow. Chang is the only one here who was brave enough to be honest.”
In many ways our hearts are like a garden. Weeds grow without being planted or watered. So if we intend to have a good crop, it is important that we make sure we plant good seeds and faithfully tend to the soil.
The question is, what will you plant in your heart this spring?