The Parable of the Push-ups

Steve was told that he could not be late for Brother Christianson's Seminary, 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, Brother 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 could try," said Steve.

"Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I have a class project 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 Brother Christianson.

Steve said, "Well... I think I can... yeah, I can do it."

Brother 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. Now these weren't the normal kind of donuts, these were the big fancy kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was pretty excited that 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 Brother Christianson's class.

Brother Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked, "Cynthia would you like one of these donuts?" Cynthia said, "Yes please."

Brother Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you please do ten push-ups so that Cynthia may have a donut?"

"Sure." Steve jumped down from the desk, did ten quick push-ups, and then returned to his desk. Brother Christianson put a donut on Cynthia's desk.

Brother Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, "Joe do you want a donut?"

Joe said, "Yes."

The teacher asked, "Steve would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have a donut?"

Steve did ten push-ups and Joe got a donut. And so it went, down the first aisle. Steve did ten push-ups for each person before they received a donut. Brother Christianson continued down the second aisle until he came to Scott.

Scott was on the basketball team, and in as good of physical condition as Steve. Scott was popular and never lacking friends. When the teacher asked, "Scott would you like a donut?"

Scott's reply was, "Yes, if I can do my own push-ups."

Brother Christianson said, "No, Steve has to do them."

Scott said, "Then I don't want one"

The teacher shrugged and then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Scott can have the donut he doesn't want?"

With perfect obedience Steve started to do the push-ups.

Scott yelled, "HEY! I said I didn't want one!"

Brother Christianson said sternly, "Look, this is my class, these are 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 perspire and was starting to slow down a little. He just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to get up and down. As Brother Christianson started down the third row, many students were beginning to get a little angry.

Brother. Christianson asked Jenny, "Jenny, do you want a donut?"

Jenny's answer was a firm, "No!"

Then Brother. 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 put forth a lot of extra effort to get these push-ups done for each donut. There was a pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face and his arms were beginning to turn red because of the physical effort being put forth.

Because Brother Christianson could no longer bear to watch Steve's hard work go for all these uneaten donuts, he asked Robert, the most vocal unbeliever in the class, to watch Steve do each push-up to make sure he did all ten in each set.

As the teacher started down the fourth row, he noticed 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. He did a quick count and saw that there were now thirty-four students in the room. He started to worry that Steve would not be able to make it. He went on to the next person and the next and the next. Near the end of the row, Steve was really having a hard time. It was taking a lot more time to complete each set.

Just then, Jason, a recent transfer student, came to the room. He was about to enter when at once all of the students yelled, "NO!! Don't come in!!" Jason didn't know what was going on.

Steve picked up his head and said, "No, let him come."

Brother Christianson said, "You realize that if Jason comes in you will have to do ten push-ups for him?"

"Yes, let him come in. Give him a donut."

Brother Christianson said, "Okay Steve, I'll let you get Jason's out of the way right now. Jason, do you want a donut?"

Not even knowing what was going on, Jason said, "Yes, I'll have a donut."

"Steve, will you do ten push-ups so that Jason can have a donut?"

Steve did ten very slow and labored push-ups. Jason, bewildered, was handed a donut and sat down.

Brother Christianson finished the fourth row and started on the visitors seated by the radiators. Steve's arms were now shaking with each push-up in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity. Sweat was profusely dripping off of his face and there was no sound except his heavy breathing. By this time, 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 well-liked. Brother Christianson went to Linda and asked if she wanted a donut.

Linda said, very sadly, "No, thank you."

The professor 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.

The Brother Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan "Susan, do you want a donut?"

Susan, with tears streaming down her face pleaded, "Brother Christianson, why can't I help him?"

Brother Christianson, with tears of his own, explained, "No, Steve has to do it alone. I have given him this task and he is in charge of seeing that everyone here 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 is the only student with a perfect grade. Everyone else has failed a test, skipped class, or offered up inferior work. Steve told me that in football practice when a player messes up, he has to do push-ups. I told Steve that none of you could come to the 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.

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 accomplished all that was required of Him, He yielded up His life for us. And like some of those in this room, many 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 teacher, adding, "Not all testimonies are preached in words."

Brother 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."

20 Things That Will Take You Further in Life Than Good Grades

By Sheri Reed

1. Getting an education. Odds are you've forgotten 90% of what you were tested on in school. The 10% you remember? That's education.
2. Being excited about learning. So your kid comes home with a B or even a C ... what's more worrisome is if he or she comes home bored and unexcited about learning.
3. Tying your shoelaces. Not to stress those of you with 4- and 5-year-olds out, but your kid's not going to go very far in life without this skill. Literally. It's really hard to walk.
4. Being just bad enough. Here's a life lesson that will take your kids further in school, college, work, and life. There's a fine line between having fun and ending up in the principal's office.
5. Learning to accept your authentic self. Your kids might not be "A" students, but if they are working hard and not slacking off, then less-than-perfect grades are fine. Parental love and acceptance is more important than perfect grades.
6. Knowing what your true skills are. Graduate school was very hard for me at times. I'll never forget a professor who acknowledged the importance of the person in the discussion group (me) who "added humor" and "lightened up the overly serious people." Your kids' assets may not be the traditional academic kind.
7. Staying sane. Never underestimate the importance of good mental and emotional health over studying day in and day out. Kids who are pushed too hard often crack under the pressure.
8. Being a good friend. School can be a sandbox for figuring out who you are and how you relate to other people. You develop your social skills and forge relationships that will teach you for a lifetime -- things like "treat others how you want to be treated." And while learning to be be a good friend, your kids will also learn to other important lessons like how to lose friends, end unhealthy friendships, and move on.
9. Failing can be a gift. Watching your kids fail is a tough one for most parents. Like many things in life though, sometimes we need to fail something before we can master it.
   
10. Understanding your process. Educational failures can also be eye-opening revelations for a student (i.e., "I learn by reading/writing/discussing/doing") and can help them to learn valuable things about their personalities, their work styles, their limitations, what does and doesn't work for them, and what they really want to learn.
11. Being a good sport. Whether in actual sports or other competitive activities like debate team, your kids can pick up important life skills like the rewards of a competitive spirit, working as part of a team,persevering through loss, and that competition always makes you better -- even if you don't win every time.
12. Being well rounded. A good education isn't straight out of a textbook. Extracurricular activitiesand electives like Photography and Wood Shop develop skills beyond academics and help provide skills your kids can take far beyond schooling.
13. Questioning authority. The sooner the better on this one and, of course, learning to do it with respect and tact. Teachers (and bosses) don't know everything and are often far from perfect.
14. Reading can be fun. And the kind of reading you're forced to do to get straight As isn't always the fun kind. Sometimes! But not always.
    
15. Being perfect is more harmful than helpful. How many employers have ever checked your GPA? None, right? If being perfect is killing your child with stress or panic or ruining her love of learning, taking it down a notch might be more beneficial.
16. Having good "people" skills. It's not what you know but who you know, right? Being able to network with the right people and work with all kinds of people -- especially the difficult ones -- is a profound asset in work and in life.
17. Knowing the most important skill set for your career path. Unless your child is determined to be a doctor or a lawyer, reading until one's eyes bleed may not be the most important skill set. Making powerful friends, getting key references, building a great resume, learning a job-specific skill, or gaining hands-on experience might actually serve them better.
18. Being able to prioritize well. This will help you be more successful in 90% of the critical areas of your life: work, health, money, marriage, kids.
19. Living a balanced life. The guy who does the best job at work doesn't necessarily have the best life. In fact, if he spends so much time on work, he may be, in fact, neglecting other areas in life like: building relationships, relaxing, having fun.
20. Getting an education is critical. Even if your child is not making straight As or going for valedictorian, there's sure a heck of a lot of important stuff to learn!
    

What lessons that you learned in school have taken you farther in life than good grades?

I am a Mother

If You Come Across an Angel

Every day, in the world around us, real live angels are doing things they do

and bringing more smiles to the world around them.

Real life angels build bridges instead of walls.

They don’t play hide and seek with the truth, and they don’t have hidden agendas.

They tend to be the ones who understand what you’re going through.

If they sense that you been hurting, they do whatever they can to help you.

Real-life angels understand difficulties and always give the benefit of the doubt.

They don’t hold others up to standards they can’t live by themselves.

Real-life angels are what “inner beauty” is all about.

Real-life angels don’t hold things against you; the only thing they hold is you.

They walk beside you when you could use a little guidance and direction in your life.

And they support you in your attempts to do what is right.

Real-life angels multiply your smiles and add to your integrity.

If you come across an angel like this, you are one of the luckiest people of all.

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Malachi 3:3

There was a group of women in a Bible study on the book of Malachi. As they were studying chapter three, they came across verse three which says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." (Malachi 3:3) This verse puzzled the women and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out about the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible study. That week this woman called up a silver smith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest in silver beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silver smith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot--then she thought again about the verse, that he sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.

She asked the silver smith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silver smith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"

He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy--when I see my image in it."

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on you.

Author unknown

Play is the highest form of research

- Albert Einstein

"Welcome To Holland" by Emily Pearl Kingsley

She writes:
I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel.It's like this . . .

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guidebooks and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum, the Michelangelo's David, the gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting. After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go.

Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes and says, "Welcome to Holland." "Holland?" you say. "What do you mean Holland? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy." But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you go out and buy new guidebooks. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met. It's just a different place.It's slower paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around, and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills, Holland has tulips, Holland even has Rembrandts. But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy, and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say, "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

The pain of that will never go away, because the loss of that dream is a very significant loss. But if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you will never be free to enjoy the very special, very lovely things about Holland.

Military Wives Prayer

Dear Lord,

Give me the greatness of heart to see the difference between duty and his love for me.
Give me understanding that I may know, when duty calls him he must go.
Give me a task to do each day, to fill the time when he's away.
And Lord, when he's in a foreign land, keep him safe in your loving hand.
And Lord, when duty is in the field, please protect him and be his shield.
And Lord, when deployment is so long, please stay with me and keep me strong.
Amen.

~Author Unknown~

"Fair is a weather forecast. It has got nothing to do with life."
- Maude Herman

The Mom Song

The Drug Problem in America

The other day, someone at a store in our town read that a methamphetamine lab had been found in an old farmhouse in the adjoining county and he asked me a rhetorical question, ''Why didn't we have a drug problem when you and I were growing up?''

I replied: I had a drug problem when I was young:

I was drug to church on Sunday morning.

I was drug to church for weddings and funerals.

I was drug to family reunions and community socials no matter the weather.

I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to adults.

I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents, told a lie, brought home a bad report card, did not speak with respect, spoke ill of the teacher or the preacher, or if I didn't put forth my best effort in everything that was asked of me.

I was drug to the kitchen sink to have my mouth washed out with soap if I uttered a profane four-letter word.

I was drug out to pull weeds in mom's garden and flower beds and cockleburs out of dad's fields.

I was drug to the homes of family, friends, and neighbors to help out some poor soul who had no one to mow the yard, repair the clothesline, or chop some firewood;and, if my mother had ever known that I took a single dime as a tip for this kindness, she would have drug me back to the woodshed.

Those drugs are still in my veins; and they affect my behavior in everything I do, say, and think. They are stronger than cocaine, crack, or heroin; and, if today's children had this kind of drug problem, America would be a better place.

~author unknown~

“Our worst fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented,and fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God; your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us. It is not just in some of us, it is in everyone. As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

by Marianne Williamson (A Return to Love)

When I say, "I am a Christian,"
I'm not shouting, "I've been saved!"
I'm whispering, "I get lost!
That's why I chose this way"

When I say, "I am a Christian,"
I don't speak with human pride
I'm confessing that I stumble
Needing God to be my guide

When I say, "I am a Christian,"
I'm not trying to be strong
I'm professing that I'm weak
And pray for strength to carry on

When I say, "I am a Christian,"
I'm not bragging of success
I'm admitting that I've failed
And cannot ever pay the debt

When I say, "I am a Christian,"
I don't think I know it all
I submit to my confusion
Asking humbly to be taught

When I say, "I am a Christian,"
I'm not claiming to be perfect
My flaws are far too visible
But God believes I'm worth it

When I say, "I am a Christian,"
I still feel the sting of pain
I have my share of heartache
Which is why I seek His name

When I say, "I am a Christian,"
I do not wish to judge
I have no authority
I only know I'm loved

by Carol Wimmer (1988)

If I had my child to raise all over again,
I'd build self-esteem first, and the house later.
I'd finger-paint more, and point the finger less.
I would do less correcting and more connecting.
I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.
I'd take more hikes and fly more kites.
I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play.
I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars.
I'd do more hugging and less tugging.

by Diane Loomans, from "If I Had My Child To Raise Over Again"

Top 10 reasons I love being a mom:

10. You get to set your own schedule after they start sleeping through the night.
9. You are able to create your own working environment.
8. You are your own boss until your kids out smart you.
7. Watching animated movies is mandatory!
6. Playtime is the most important part of the day.
5. Your night life consists of peace and quite finally.
4. Making mistakes is normal, and the kids don't mind.
3. You can sing off key and no one cares.
2. Everyday can be a pajama day and that's ok!
1. You get hugs, kisses, and "I love you"s just for being you.