Last night I finished reading Do Hard Things by Alex & Brett Harris at around 2:00 am since Elijah decided not to sleep last night. I must admit that the book wasn’t entirely what I expected, but it was still good. I suppose I expected it to be, well, a harder read. But I guess a book about low expectations can’t be too challenging in its structure and vocabulary, or else the target audience of under-achieving, entertainment-driven, lowest-common denominator teenagers probably won’t pick it up, and should they pick it up, that kind of audience probably won’t finish reading it.
What I loved about the book is that it was challenging, insightful and practical. It is populated with examples of everyday teenagers taking on significant tasks. But even more significant about the book is the challenge that it issues to tackle the most mundane, ordinary, small tasks of life, for these are the tasks that will ultimately determine the ability of any individual to embrace the larger-than-life challenges with confidence and competency. And the reality is that the ordinary tasks are what most of us - children and adults alike - struggle to complete with excellency .
Personally I would like to have seen more balance in the book from a biblical perspective. While I would affirm that most of what the Harris brothers said was biblical, I would like to have seen more biblical examples of individuals “doing hard things” as well as more principles undergirded by referenced biblical truth. Primarily I had hoped to see the pages saturated with Scripture. The main reason for concern here is that every generation needs to see that the kind of practical counsel and challenging affirmations issued in the call to do hard things is rooted in biblical authority, not simply in the personal experiences of ordinary teenagers who have embraced an extra-ordinary call. Anything less than this biblical authority and we’ve simply offered people a motivational speech. This isn’t to say there aren’t many biblical references in this book; there are. I just would have liked to have seen a few more.
The five kinds of “doing hard things” were exceptionally helpful - not just for teens - but for all individuals who desire not to waste their life. Taking these seriously really could change the way one lives life for the sake of Jesus and His Kingdom. They are:
- Things that take you outside your comfort zone - taking risks to grow.
- Things that go beyond what’s expected or required - pursuing excellence.
- Things that are too big to accomplish alone - dreaming and daring big.
- Things that don’t earn an immediate payoff - being faithful and choosing integrity
- Things that go against the cultural norm - taking a stand for what is right.
I would definately recommend that middle, high school and even college students read this book. Furthemore, I think parents should as well. Truth be told, parents are as guilty of enabling indifference, low expectations and apathy among children as our culture is. Far too many parents expect too little of their children and fail to push them to excel beyond our culture’s normal expectations for the next generation.
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May 17, 2008 at 7:53 pm
hensleyzachary
Aaron,
Have you ever heard of David Black? He’s a prof at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in NC and his website is DaveBlackOnline.com. Anyways, he’s written a book called The Myth of Adolescence. I haven’t gotten around to giving it a serious read yet (I’m still a few years off needing it), but I believe that his basic argument is that adolescence (as defined basically as the time in one’s life when one is basically expected to be irresponsible and rebellious) is not a normal part of human development, but has been created by us as a culture.
IF (and that’s a big ‘if’) Dr. Black is correct, do you think this informs the debate at all? Specifically, is this book by the Harris brothers addressing the symptoms (how to teach adolescents how to be responsible) verses a work like Black’s addressing the underlying cause (how to get rid of adolescence as a whole).
I mean, why is it that we look back even 50 years ago (and certainly several hundred years) and see that youths accomplished more by the time they were 25 than most of us accomplish in a lifetime? I mean, it’s not even a specifically ‘Christian’ problem. David Hume wrote his Treatise on Human Nature in his early twenties. Henry Scougal wrote his Life of God in the Soul of Man in his early twenties. Edwards wrote his Resolutions at 19.
So, I guess I’m asking do you think that the Harris boys are merely addressing the symptoms or do they, in their book, try to address the root? It certainly can’t simply be chocked up to some generic reference to ’sin’; else all my behavior can be attributed to sin in some form or fashion.
May 17, 2008 at 8:57 pm
johnaaronmartin
Zac,
I actually have this book but haven’t been able to (yet) give it serious consideration. Though I haven’t read Black’s book, I am inclined to agree that adolescence as we understand it is strictly cultural, not biblical. It seems clear to me that the Scriptures talk about immaturity and maturity, childhood and adulthood.
While the Harris brothers touched on the root of the problem, I don’t think it was their aim to deal with the root. In other words, I think they surveyed their audience (teenagers) and decided that teenagers who read this book won’t yet be interested in the root of the problem. As I said, they mentioned the social, cultural construct of adolescence in one chapter, but spent much of their time dealing specifically with how and why to rise above these culturally defined low expectations. This approach may prove to be flawed in the long run, because as you and I both know, unless you deal with the root of an issue, you will not decisively sever our attachment to the real issue. I felt like they were aware of the root issues but didn’t want to dwell on them too long.
May 18, 2008 at 2:56 pm
zeynepankara
I am new here. Just wanted to say hello. So hello!! Zeynep xx