Clair sent this story to me in 2008 and today I felt it would be good for my 11 year old primary class.
Do you want your donut?
There was a boy by the name of Steve who was attending Seminary . In
this Seminary, classes are held during school hours. 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 Brother Christianson's Seminary 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.
Then 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.' .
When everyone in the classroom heard what the teacher meant by it and
realized everything. Steve smiled on the ground where he laid in his
own sweat and began to cry.
Please remember Christ and his sacrifice!
