There was a boy by the name of Steve who was attending school in
Utah. Brother Christianson taught at this particular school. He had an
open-door policy and would take in any student that had been thrown out
of another class as long as they would abide by his rules. Steve had
been kicked out of his sixth period and no other teacher wanted him, so
he went into Brother Christianson's class.
Steve was told that he could not be late, so he arrived just
seconds before the bell rang and he would sit in the very back of the
room. He would also be the first to leave after the class was over.
One day, Brother Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he
could talk with him. After class, Bro. Christianson pulled Steve aside
and said, "You think you're pretty tough, don't you?" Steve's answer
was, "Yeah, I do."
Then Brother Christianson asked, "How many push-ups can you do?"
Steve said, "I do about 200 every night." "200? That's pretty good,
Steve," Brother Christianson said. "Do you think you could do 300?"
Steve replied, "I don't know... I've never done 300 at a time."
Do you think you could?" Again asked Brother Christianson. "Well, I
can try," said Steve. "Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I need you to do
300 in sets of ten for this to work. Can you do it? I need you to tell
me you can do it," Brother Christianson said. Steve said, " Well ... I
think I can... Yeah, I can do it." Brother Christianson said, "Good! I
need you to do this on Friday."
Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of
the room. When class started, Brother Christianson pulled out a big box
of donuts. Now these weren't the normal kinds of donuts, they were the
extra fancy BIG kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone
was pretty excited - it was Friday, the last class of the day, and they
were going to get an early start on the weekend.
Bro. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and
asked, "Cynthia, do you want a donut?" Cynthia said, "Yes." Bro.
Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten
push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?"
Steve said, "Sure," and jumped down from his desk to do a quick
ten. Then Steve again sat in his desk. Bro. Christianson put a donut on
Cynthia's desk. Bro. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and
asked, "Joe do you want a donut?" Joe said, "Yes." Bro. Christianson
asked, "Steve would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have a donut?" Steve
did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut.
And so it went, down the first aisle, Steve did ten pushups for
every person before they got their donut. And down the second aisle,
till Bro. Christianson came to Scott. Scott was captain of the football
team and center of the basketball team. He was very popular and never
lacking for female companionship. When Bro. Christianson asked, "Scott
do you want a donut?" Scott's reply was, "Well, can I do my own
pushups?" Bro. Christianson said, "No, Steve has to do them."
Then Scott said, "Well, I don't want one then." Bro. Christianson
then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten pushups so
Scott can have a donut he doesn't want?" Steve started to do ten
pushups. Scott said, "HEY! I said I didn't want one!"
Bro. Christianson said, "Look, this is my classroom, my class, my
desks, and my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don't want it."
And he put a donut on Scott's desk.
Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He just
stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be
getting up and down. You could start to see a little perspiration coming
out around his brow. Bro. Christianson started down the third row. Now
the students were beginning to get a little angry.
Bro. Christianson asked Jenny, "Jenny, do you want a donut?" Jenny
said, "No." Then Bro. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten
pushups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn't want?" Steve did
ten, Jenny got a donut.
By now, the students were beginning to say "No" and there were all
these uneaten donuts on the desks. Steve was also having to really put
forth a lot of effort to get these pushups done for each donut. There
began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his
arms and brow were beginning to get red because of the physical effort
involved.
Bro. Christianson asked Robert to watch Steve to make sure he did
ten pushups in a set because he couldn't bear to watch all of Steve's
work for all of those uneaten donuts. So Robert began to watch Steve
closely.
Bro. Christianson started down the fourth row. During his class,
however, some students had wandered in and sat along the heaters along
the sides of the room. When Bro. Christianson realized this; he did a
quick count and saw 34 students in the room. He started to worry if
Steve would be able to make it.
Bro. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the
next. Near the end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He
was taking a lot more time to complete each set.
Steve asked Bro. Christianson, "Do I have to make my nose touch on
each one?" Bro. Christianson thought for a moment, "Well, they're your
pushups. You can do them any way that you want." And Bro. Christianson
went on.
A few moments later, Jason came to the room and was about to come
in when all the students yelled, "NO! Don't come in! Stay out!" Jason
didn't know what was going on. Steve picked up his head and said, "No,
let him come." Bro. Christianson said, "You realize that if Jason comes
in you will have to do ten pushups for him." Steve said, "Yes, let him
come in."
Bro. Christianson said, "Okay, I'll let you get Jason's out of the
way right now. Jason, do you want a donut?" "Yes." "Steve, will you do
ten pushups so that Jason can have a donut?" Steve did ten pushups very
slowly and with great effort. Jason, bewildered, was handed a donut and
sat down.
Bro. Christianson finished the fourth row, then started on those
seated on the heaters. Steve's arms were now shaking with each pushup in
a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity. Sweat was
dropping off of his face and, by this time, there was not a dry eye in
the room.
The very last two girls in the room were cheerleaders and very
popular. Bro. Christianson went to Linda, the second to last, and asked,
"Linda, do you want a doughnut? Linda said, very sadly, "No thank you."
Bro. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten pushups so
that Linda can have a donut she doesn't want?" Grunting from the effort,
Steve did ten very slow pushups for Linda.
Then Bro. Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. "Susan, do
you want a donut?" Susan, with tears flowing down her face, asked, "Bro.
Christianson, can I help him?" Bro. Christianson, with tears of his
own, said, "No, he has to do it alone. Steve, would you do ten pushups
so Susan can have a donut?"
As Steve very slowly finished his last pushup, with the
understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of him,
having done 350 pushups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the
floor.
Brother Christianson turned to the room and said. "And so it was,
that our Savior, Jesus Christ, plead to the Father, "Into thy hands I
commend my spirit." With the understanding that He had done everything
that was required of Him, he collapsed on the cross and died. And like
some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk,
uneaten."
