Alex and Brett Harris are two teenagers seeking to stir a generation of youth out of complacency.
A few years ago, they began a website called “The Rebelution” intended to challenge teenagers to rebel against the low expectations for youth in American society. Their book, Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations (Multnomah, 2008) challenges young people to reclaim their teenage years by applying themselves to significant challenges.
The rebellion advocated in this book is not directed to parents or youth leaders. Instead, it is a rebellion against the general perception of teenagers in America today. The Harris brothers do not believe teens should waste their youth on parties and games. Instead, teens should apply themselves to substantive tasks during their youth. The teenage years are not a holding tank between childhood and adulthood. They are a launching pad for the rest of life.
The Harris brothers make their case by pointing out how the idea of “teenager” has not always been around. For thousands of years, the transition from child to adult took place quickly during the early teen years. Today, the period of adolescence has led to a society that expects very little from teens. Society (and the church) caters to young people, expecting little to nothing in return.
The Harris brothers encourage teenagers to do five different kinds of hard things:
- Things that take you out of your comfort zone.
- Things that go beyond what is expected or required.
- Things that are too big for you to do alone.
- Things that do not pay off immediately.
- Things that go against the crowd.
The best part of Do Hard Things is the inclusion of illustrations that demonstrate the possibility of doing hard things during the time of adolescence. Many teens are doing significant things, and these stories are told in the book.
I can relate to Alex and Brett. My parents did not let me or my siblings waste our teenage years. They encouraged us to be involved in activities and ministries that they knew would form our character. My father hired me at the family-run print shop as an Office Manager when I was just 16. People wondered, “Isn’t he a little young?” Dad didn’t pay attention to my age. He believed I could do well. He set the bar high, and then he told me he was proud when I rose to tthe challenge.
A few years later, God led me to become a missionary to Romania. Some people think that my purchase of a one-way ticket to Romania at the age of 19 was hard. Perhaps, for some. But the high expectations I had grown up with made that purchase not seem so hard after all.
I hope Alex and Brett’s book and website will start a movement. We need to be challenged. Parents need to raise the bar for their teenagers. Teens need to make the best of their youth. Do Hard Things is a start in the right direction.
