A review by justracheljones
Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations by Alex Harris

3.5

I read this is a new believer in high school and loved it. I felt challenged, encouraged, and ready to take on the world. Looking back now, I appreciate how it reminds me not to underestimate the young people I work with, but I do think there is a lot missing. I can trace a lot of my high school guilt back to this book, and probably in large part because the narrative misses or fails to focus on the fact that it is God doing the work, not the individual. I spent a lot of time trying to do big things in my own power, which was doomed to fail from the beginning, and feeling ashamed when I failed, thinking "Why can't I do this for God?", the mantra for the reason to 'do hard things' laid out by the brothers. I don't think it was the intention of the authors to lead young people into a work-based relationship with God, and they themselves were young when they wrote it so I don't fault them. I do, however, caution that it is probably better for most young people to be encouraged by the adults in their lives and pointed to pursue the heart of God - the rest should follow more naturally that way, I think.