Do Hard Things

     When was the last time you went outside of your comfort zone, did something that really made you feel uncomfortable but paid off afterwards?  When was the last time you have worried about treating your siblings as well as your friends after a long day to school?  When have you challenged yourself to be different than everyone thinks you are, or how you should be?  When was the last time you went against the norms of today's teen society?

     In many TV shows, books, and movies, teens are portrayed as rebellious individuals who live for the fun of life.  The idea that young people cannot be held to a high standard and that selfish ambitions, sinful desires, and entitlement are all things to be expected is preached through many channels.  Here's just a taste of the attitude I'm talking about:

Who cares about respecting your parents?!  After all, they don't know what they are doing.  And doing things outside of my comfort zone, well, that is a whole different discussion!  Seize the day-you never know when you could get this time back, live in the moment and please yourself!  Have fun!  Party!  

     Obviously, not all of these thoughts pass through the mind of every teen today.  Yet the culture today pressures young teens to be lazy and do everything for themselves.  Many parents excuse the actions of their teens by explaining that they are "teenagers."  The idea that parenting in the teen years will be the roughest years of a mother and father's life is heavily emphasized.

     But the "teen years" are the channel into adulthood, the growing years.  This time in a young person's life should not be overlooked as simply the "awkward stage" or the "party-ing time."  Ultimately, self-satisfaction for the latest and greatest is the trap that many teens fall into.  They are convinced from a young age that as teenagers they are supposed to enjoy themselves to their fullest, not care about others, and become popular.  Self-centered-ness and the "me-monster" inside of each of us tends to either be subdued or egged on during this time in a person's life.

     Okay, I have rambled about stereo-types of teens as selfish individual long enough.  So what should we as young people be doing to challenge ourselves?  Are our teen years just a collection of awkward moments between childhood and adulthood?  Or is this time more valuable, more beneficial?

     To answer these questions, I will point you to a book I have recently started called Do Hard Things.  So far, this book is an encouraging source to inform Christian teens that they aren't the only ones dissatisfied with the cultural norms of the teenager.  The Harris brothers challenge the young people of today to find more meaning to their teen years by doing hard things.  They teach that the teen years are vitally important to shaping the person you will become.  Low expectations are degrading our society and not helping young people attain their goals.

     So what is the solution?  Three simple words: DO HARD THINGS.  These things don't have to be huge things like going on a missions trip, they are just daily choices that we make.  Will we snap at our younger sibling when we are tired at the end of the day or will we patiently listen to him/her talk about his/her day?  By praying to God and asking Him to reveal our weaknesses, we are ultimately helping ourselves in the long run.

     Do you consider yourself an introvert?  Believe me, everyone loves to stay inside their comfort zone of life-long friends and not go to the effort of creating new relationships with other people.  Doing hard things can be as small as challenging yourself to find someone new at your church or school to talk to.  Think about it-even if you don't become life-long friends with that person, you have just selflessly sacrificed of your time, energy, and comfort to love that person.

     Whatever it is you do, work hard at it even when you are uncomfortable.  God hasn't called his disciples to an easy life, He called them to make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19).

     Teens don't have to succumb to the pressure of this day and age.  We can value more things in life.  We can learn new skills, love others, and challenge ourselves to go the extra mile each and every day of our lives.  
     At the beginning of each day, ask God to help you become someone you never thought you would become, to mold you into His perfect image, one hard thing at a time.  Starting today.



~Lillian Kate