The following student report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent Jonathan M. during the 2009-2010 League.
Mission: Read Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris
I have just finished reading the book Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris. It is an easy to read, easy-to-follow book, written for teens by teens. Rather than just talking about raising expectations, the Harris brothers believe our generation is ready for a change - a rebellion against low expectations.
The first idea presented in the book is the "Myth of Adolescence." Until recently, there were no "teenage years." Instead, you were a child or an adult; there was no middle ground. Much was expected of you as a child; helping on the family farm, or working for your father in his business. Now we stretch the childhood years through the teen years and later, resulting in the "kidult." The "kidult" is an adult who has never matured out of his childhood years; he is doing things and going places all the time but generally getting nowhere. He still thinks life is all fun and games, and nothing is expected or required of him. This is one of the main ideas Alex and Brett are out to combat.
Our modern society has low expectations for the teenage years. This is a time when kids have fun, learn a few facts and generally waste valuable time. Teens are not expected to take on responsibility, or if we do it is only the minimum requirements, nothing more. Take the public educational system for example. On tests, a score that would have failed 20 years ago is now an A. Expectations have been lowered and as a result there is much less motivation to do your best. Another big factor is that the public school has completely removed the Christian worldview from the curriculum. When this happens, the students are indoctrinated with a completely wrong view of what life is all about; i.e. "I'm only young once, I should have fun while I can." What Brett and Alex point out is that the teen years really should be used as a launching pad for the rest of our lives.
We should have a desire to mature, not be stuck in childhood. We should look for ways to stretch ourselves, learn new things, and test our abilities. Once we take that first scary step, and get out of our comfort zone, we will begin to experience the bigger, more fulfilling life God has in store for us.
As I read this book, one of the things that really challenged me was being ready and willing to follow the plan God has for my life. We should stand up now and make a difference in our sphere of influence.
The quote in this book that really describes the Harris brothers' motivation in writing Do Hard Things is the opening paragraph: “Most people don’t expect you to understand what we’re going to tell you in this book. And even if you understand they don’t expect you to care. And even if you care, they don’t expect you to do anything about it. And even if you do something about it, they don’t expect it to last. Well, we do.” This statement sums up how the world views teenagers and has low expectations have become. How refreshing it is to read a book that is written by normal kids that have rebelled against our culture of low expectations!
Do Hard Things has definitely had an impact on my life. I have been inspired to look for opportunities to rebel against the cultural norm and also to do hard things for the Lord.
