What is grace? Why do I need it?

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Just as soon as I let them exit my mouth, I wished I could take them back.

It wasn’t so much the words themselves but the tone and the disregard that became obvious as the words came spewing out of my mouth. The guilt reel replayed in my head like an Instagram boomerang you can’t stop watching.

• Godly mothers don’t respond to their children like that.

• You’re just like your mom.

• You would never say that to someone else’s kid? Hypocrite!

Flesh of my flesh, this God-given child was mine and the words that just flattened him were mine too. I don’t deserve to be his mom.

Are you familiar with this dialogue of shame and distance from God?

Enter God’s grace.
But what is God’s grace?

What is grace?

Grace is unmerited favor–a gift we don’t deserve and didn’t earn. Distinct from mercy, which releases the offense, grace moves toward—extending the gift of reconnection and a fresh start.

For Christians, this fresh start begins with Jesus and an acceptance of who He is and what He’s done. Grace extends its work when Whether you are new to friendship with Jesus or not there yet, may this modern-day parable be your invitation to choose God and His grace back.

Why Do I Need It?

A Modern-Day Parable on Donuts and Grace

Dr. Christianson taught as a Professor of Religion at a small college in the Western United States.

Every student was required to take his survey course on Christianity during his or her freshman year—regardless of major.

Although Dr. Christianson worked tirelessly to communicate the essence of the gospel, he found most of his students looked at the course as nothing but required drudgery.

Steve was only a freshman but entered Dr. Christianson’s class with the intent of pursuing seminary. Steve was popular, well-liked, and an imposing physical specimen. The starting center on the school football team, Steve was also the best student in the professor’s class.

One day, Dr. Christianson asked Steve to stay after class.

“How many pushups can you do?” Dr. Christianson queried.Steve responded, “I do about 200 every night.” “200? That’s pretty good, Steve. 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?” Dr. Christianson asked again. “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 pushups 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. He sat in the front of the room.

When class started, the professor pulled out a big box of donuts. These weren’t the normal kinds of donuts—they were the extra fancy BIG kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls.

It was Friday—the last class of the day, and everyone was excited about the sweet start to their weekend.

Christianson began with a girl in the first row and asked, “Chloe, do you want to have one of these donuts?”

Chloe said, “Of course! Thank you.”

Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, “Steve, would you do ten pushups so Chloe can have a donut?”

“Sure.” Steve jumped from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steve hopped back up while Dr. Christianson put a donut on Chloe’s desk.

Christianson then went to Nate and asked, “Nate, do you want a donut?” “Your bet, Doc!”

With a raised brow and a crooked smile at Nate’s informal response, Christianson asked, “Steve would you do ten pushups so Nate can have a donut?” Steve did ten pushups and Nate got a donut.

And so it went, down the first aisle—Steve did ten pushups for every person before they received their donut. Then, down the second aisle, until Dr. Christianson came to Brayden.

Brayden was on the basketball team and in as good condition as Steve—very popular and never lacking female companionship. When the professor asked, “Brayden, do you want a donut?”

Brayden’s reply was, “Well, can I do my own pushups?”

Christianson said, “No, Steve has to do them.”

Then Brayden said, “Well, I don’t want one then.”

Christianson shrugged, turned to Steve, and asked, “Steve, would you do ten pushups so Brayden can have a donut he doesn’t want?” With perfect obedience, Steve started to do ten pushups.

“HEY! I said I didn’t want one!”

Christianson responded, “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.” He left a donut on Brayden’s desk.

By this time, Steve had begun to slow. He stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to get up and down. Beads of perspiration gathered at his brow.

Christianson started down the third row.

“Lauren, do you want a donut?”

Sternly, Lauren said, “No.” Then Dr. Christianson asked Steve, “Steve, would you do ten more pushups so Lauren can have a donut she doesn’t want?” Steve did ten and Lauren got a donut.

By now, a growing sense of uneasiness filled the room. Students were beginning to say “No.” Donuts sat on desks, untouched.

Steve exerted extra effort for every donut. A pool of sweat gathered on the floor beneath his face. His arms and brow were blazoned red for the physical effort involved.

Christianson started down the fourth row. By that time, however, students from other classes had wandered in and sat down on the steps that ran down the sides of the room. When the professor realized this, he did a quick count and saw there were now 34 students in the room.

He started to worry: Would Steve make it?

Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next—each set taking longer and longer to complete.

A few moments later, Jonathan, a recent transfer student, opened the door when all the students yelled in one voice, “NO! Don’t come in! Stay out!” Jonathan 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 Jonathan comes in you will have to do ten pushups for him?” Steve said, “Yes, let him come in. Give him a donut.”

Christianson said, “Okay, Steve, I’ll let you get Jonathan’s out of the way right now.”

“Jonathan, do you want a donut?” Jonathan, new to the room hardly knew what was going on.

“Sure!”

“Steve, will you do ten pushups so Jonathan can have a donut?” Steve did ten pushups very slowly and with great effort.

A bewildered Jonathan ate his donut as he sat down.

Christianson finished the fourth row and moved to the visitors seated by the heaters. Steve’s arms shook with each pushup. Sweat profusely dropped off his face and, by this time, there was no sound except Steve’s heavy breathing. Not a dry eye in the room.

The last two students were ordinarily energizing cheerleaders. Christianson went to Leah, and asked, “Leah, do you want a donut?”

Quietly, Leah bowed and said, “No, thank you.”

Professor Christianson persisted, “Steve, would you do ten pushups so Leah can have a donut she doesn’t want?” Grunting from the effort, Steve labored out ten more pushups.

Christianson turned to Sam. “Sam, do you want a donut?” With tears flowing down her face, Sam began to cry. “Dr. Christianson, why can’t I help him?”

Christianson, with tears of his own, said, “No. Steve has to do it alone. I gave 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 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 when a player messes up in football practice, the player does pushups. I told Steve that none of you could come to my party unless he paid the price by doing your pushups. He and I made a deal for your sakes.”

“Steve, would you do ten pushups so Sam can have a donut?” As Steve 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.

Christianson turned to his class. “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 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 teacher, adding, “Not all sermons are preached in words.”

Turning to his class, Dr. Christianson finished, “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 for us all, now and forever. Whether or not we choose to accept His gift to us, the price has been paid.”

-Author Unknown

The Journey to Grace

Grace begins with Jesus—who He is and what He’s done. Its purpose is restoration to a fresh start.

Though technically free to us who could never earn it, grace costs us the willingness to recognize our need for forgiveness as well as our inability to restore ourselves.

None of us needs a donut. We do, however, need a soul freed from guilt and shame.

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death…So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.

Romans 8:1-3, NLT

Through the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, God gave humanity what we didn’t deserve or earn.

God gave us a flesh-and-blood invitation to

• grace-filled friendship with God

• the freedom that comes with it

• the impact of that freedom on those around us.

Where does God’s grace speak to you as you finish reading this? For some, it will be tears and a softened heart to acceptance. While for others, it will be a raised eyebrow and a tightened lip at the absurdity of it all.

Either way, the choice of what we do with God’s grace is yours and mine.

If you find yourself where I did with my son, then look up, friend. God’s grace is enough for you—and for them.

Ask for forgiveness.
Receive forgiveness.
Grant forgiveness.

And then, go eat some donuts!

Until next time, may the absurdly generous grace of God go before you, be in you, to you, and through you.

Jennifer