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There was a certain Professor of Religion named Dr Christianson,
a studious man who taught at a small college in the western United
States.
Dr. Christianson taught the required survey course in Christianity
at this particular institution. Every student was required to take
this course his or her freshman year, regardless of his or her
major.
Although Dr. Christianson tried hard to communicate the essence of
the gospel in his class, he found that most of his students looked
upon the course as nothing but required drudgery. Despite his best
efforts, most students refused to take Christianity seriously.
This year, Dr. Christianson had a special student named Steve.
Steve was only a freshman, but was studying with the intent of going
onto seminary for the ministry. Steve was popular, he was well
liked, and he was an imposing physical specimen. He was now the
starting center on the school football team, and was the best
student in the professor's class.
One day, Dr. Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he
could talk with him. "How many push-ups can you do?"
Steve said, "I do about 200 every night."
"200? That's pretty good, Steve," Dr. 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 Dr. Christianson.
"Well, I can try," said Steve.
"Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I have a class project in mind and
I need you to do about 300 push-ups in sets of ten for this to work.
Can you do it? I need you to tell me you can do it," said the
professor.
Steve said, "Well... I think I can...yeah, I can do it"
Dr. Christianson said, "Good! I need you to do this on Friday.
Let me explain what I have in mind."
Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of
the room. When class started, the professor pulled out a big box of
donuts. No, 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 with a
party in Dr. Christianson's class.
Dr. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and
asked, "Cynthia, do you want to have one of these donuts?"
Cynthia said, "Yes."
Dr. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would
you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?"
"Sure." Steve jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then
Steve again sat in his desk.
Dr. Christianson put a donut on Cynthia's desk.
Dr. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked,
"Joe, do you want a donut?"
Joe said, "Yes."
Dr. 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.
Walking down the second aisle, Dr. Christianson came to Scott.
Scott was on the basketball team, and in as good condition as Steve.
He was very popular and never lacking for female companionship. When
the professor asked, "Scott do you want a donut?" Scott's reply was,
"Well, can I do my own pushups?"
Dr. Christianson said, "No, Steve has to do them."
Then Scott said, "Well, I don't want one then."
Dr. Christianson shrugged and then turned to Steve and asked,
"Steve, would you do ten pushups so Scott can have a donut he
doesn't want?" With perfect obedience Steve started to do ten
pushups.
Scott said, "HEY! I said I didn't want one!" Dr. Christianson
said, "Look, this is my classroom, my class, my desks, and these are
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.
Dr. Christianson started down the third row. Now the students
were beginning to get a little angry. Dr. Christianson asked Jenny,
"Jenny, do you want a donut?"
Sternly, Jenny said, "No."
Then Dr. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten more
push-ups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn't want?"
Steve did ten....Jenny got a donut.
By now, a growing sense of uneasiness filled the room. The
students were beginning to say ! "No" and there were all these
uneaten donuts on the desks.
Steve also had to really put forth a lot of extra 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.
Dr. Christianson asked Robert, who was the most vocal unbeliever
in the class, to watch Steve do each push up to make sure he did the
full ten pushups in a set because he couldn't bear to watch all of
Steve's work for all of those uneaten donuts. He sent Robert over to
where Steve was so Robert could count the set and watch Steve
closely.
Dr. Christianson started down the fourth row.
During his class, however, some students from other classes had
wandered in and sat down on the steps along the radiators that ran
down the sides of the room. When the professor realized this, he did
a quick count and saw that now there were 34 students in the room.
He started to worry if Steve would be able to make it. Dr.
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 Dr Christianson, "Do I have to make my nose touch on
each one?"
Dr. Christianson thought for a moment, "Well, they're your
pushups. You are in charge now. You can do them any way that you
want." And Dr. Christianson went on.
A few moments later, Jason, a recent transfer student, came to
the room and was about to come in when all the students yelled in
one voice, "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."
Professor 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. Give him a donut"
Dr. Christianson said, "Okay, Steve, I'll let you get Jason's out
of the way right now. Jason, do you want a donut?"
Jason, new to the room, hardly knew what was going on. "Yes," he
said, "give me a donut."
"Steve, will you do ten push-ups 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.
Dr. Christianson finished the fourth row, and then started on
those visitors seated by the heaters. Steve's arms were now shaking
with each push-up in a struggle to lift himself against the force of
gravity. By this time sweat was profusely dropping off of his face,
there was no sound except his heavy breathing;
There was not a dry eye in the room.
The very last two students in the room were two young women, both
cheerleaders, and very popular. Dr. Christianson went to Linda, the
second to last, and asked, "Linda, do you want a doughnut?"
Linda said, very sadly, "No, thank you."
Professor Christianson quietly asked, "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 pushups for
Linda. Then Dr. Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. "Susan,
do you want a donut?" Susan, with tears flowing down her face, began
to cry. "Dr. Christianson, why can't I help him?"
Dr. Christianson, with tears of his own, said, "No, Steve has to
do it alone, I have given him this task and he is in charge of
seeing that everyone has an opportunity for a donut whether they
want it or not. When I decided to have a party this last day of
class, I looked at my grade book. Steve here is the only student
with a perfect grade. Everyone else has failed a test, skipped
class, or offered me inferior work.
Steve told me that in football practice, when a player messes up
he must do push-ups. I told Steve that none of you could come to my
party unless he paid the price by doing your push ups. He and I made
a deal for your sakes."
"Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Susan can have a donut?" As
Steve very slowly finished his last pushup, with the understanding
that he had more than accomplished all that was required of him,
having done 350 pushups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to
the floor.
Dr. Christianson turned to the room and said. "And so it was,
that our Savior, Jesus Christ, on the cross, pled to the Father,
'into thy hands I commend my spirit.' With the understanding that He
had done everything that was required of Him, He yielded up His
life. And like some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift
on the desk, uneaten."
Two students helped Steve up off the floor and to a seat,
physically exhausted, but wearing a thin smile. "Well done, good and
faithful servant," said the professor, adding "Not all sermons are
preached in words."
Turning to his class, the professor said, "My wish is that you
might understand and fully comprehend all the riches of grace and
mercy that have been given to you through the sacrifice of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ. He spared not only His Begotten Son, but
gave Him up for us all, for the whole Church, now and forever.
Whether or not we choose to accept His gift to us, the price has
been paid."
"Wouldn't you be foolish and ungrateful to leave it lying on the
desk?"
Author: Unknown
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