A new year and time for a new post- "Atoning Donuts" a modern parable

Atoning Doughnuts

There was a boy by the name of Steve who was attending Seminary in Utah. In Utah, Seminary classes are held as part of the school 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 already been kicked out of his sixth period class, so he went into Brother Christianson's Seminary class. Steve was told that he couldn't be late, so he would come in just seconds before the bell rang, sit in the very back of the room, and was the first to leave after the class was over.

One day, Bro. Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he would 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 doughnuts. Now these weren't the normal kinds of doughnuts, 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 on the first row and asked, "Cynthia, do you want a doughnut?"

Cynthia said, "Yes." Bro. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do Ten push-ups so Cynthia can have a doughnut?" 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 doughnut on Cynthia's desk. Bro. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, "Joe, do you want a doughnut?"


Joe said, "Yes." Bro. Christianson asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have a doughnut?" Steve did ten push-ups; Joe got a doughnut. And so it went, down the first aisle. Steve did ten push-ups for every person before they got their doughnut, then 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, never lacking for female companionship. When Bro. Christianson asked, "Scott, do you want a doughnut?" 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 doughnut 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 doughnuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don't want it." And he put a doughnut 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 doughnut?" Jenny said, "No." Then Bro. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Jenny can have a doughnut that she doesn't want? Steve did ten and Jenny got a doughnut. By now, the students were beginning to say "No", and there were all these uneaten doughnuts on the desks. Steve was starting to put forth a lot more effort to get these push-ups done for each doughnut. 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 push-ups in a set because he couldn't bear to watch all of Steven's work for all of those uneaten doughnuts. 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 the to 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 door 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 doughnut?" "Yes." "Steve, will you do ten push-ups so that Jason can have a doughnut?" Steve did ten push-ups very slowly and with great effort. Jason, bewildered, was handed a doughnut and sat down.


Bro. Christianson finished the fourth row, and then started on those seated on the heaters. Steve's arms were now shaking with each push-up in a struggle to lift him 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 the last, and asked, "Linda, do you want a doughnut?" Too choked up to talk, she just shook here head, no. Bro. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Linda can have a doughnut 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 doughnut?" 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 doughnut?" 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, his strength entirely spent.



Bro. Christianson then concluded the day's lesson, "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."

One and a half years later Steve went to El Salvador on a mission for the Church.