Parable of the Push-Ups

 

There was a boy by the name of Steve who was

attending College in Utah. In Utah, Seminary classes

are held as part of the curriculum. Brother

Christianson taught Seminary 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 Bro. Christianson's Seminary class.

 

Steve was told that he couldn't be late, so he would

come in 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, Bro. 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 Bro.

Christianson asked, "How many push-ups can you do?"

Steve said, "I do about 200 every night."  "200?

That's pretty good, Steve." Bro. 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

Bro. 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," Bro.

Christianson said.  Steve said, "Well... I think I

can... yeah, I can do it."  Bro. 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, Bro.

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

extra 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 push-ups?"  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 push-ups so Scott can have a

donut he doesn't want?"

 

Steve started to do ten push-ups. 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, and a little perspiration appeared around his

brow.

 

Bro. Christianson started down the third row. By

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 push-ups 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 push-ups done for each donut.

There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor

beneath his face, and 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  push-ups in a set

because he couldn't bear to watch all of Steve's

work for all of those uneaten donuts. 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 that there were

now 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 push-ups. 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 push-ups 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 push-ups so that Jason can

have a donut?" Steve did ten push-ups 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 push-up 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 donut?"

 

Linda, too choked up to talk, just shook her head.

Bro. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do

ten push-ups so that Linda can have a donut she

doesn't want?"

 

Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow

push-ups 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 push-ups so Susan can have a

donut?"  As Steve very slowly finished his last

push-up, with the understanding that he

had accomplished all that was required of him,

having done 350 push-ups, his arms buckled beneath

him and he fell to the floor.

 

Bro. Christianson then said, "And so it was, that

our Savior, Jesus Christ, pleaded to the Father,

"Into thy hands I commend my spirit", and with the

understanding that He had done everything that was

required of Him, collapsed on the cross and died -

even for those that didn't want His gift."