[StBernard] Don't leave it on the desk

[Westley Annis]

WOW!  That was fantastic!  Thanks for sending that along.

JY

	-----------------------------------------------------
	This is GOOD. GOD IS GOOD. Sometimes we have to look at it a new
way.
	
	        DON'T LEAVE IT ON THE DESK
	
	        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 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
on
	to 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 push-ups 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 push-ups?"
	
	        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 push-ups so Scott can have a donut he
doesn't
	want?"
	
	        With perfect obedience Steve started to do ten push-ups.
	
	        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 push-ups 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 push-ups 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 push-ups 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 push-ups 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 donut?"
	
	        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 push-ups
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 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.
	
	        Dr. Christianson turned to the room and said, "And so it
was,
	that our Savior, Jesus Christ, on the cross, 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 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 His only 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?"