by Andrew Heil, age 14
To do the hard things, one must do what everyone else is neglecting and overlooking. Sorrowfully, in America throughout the past decades, society has roadblocked teenagers from accomplishing objectives which teens in America’s distant past would have achieved with haste. Breaking free of society’s manufactured chains, youths can fulfill life ambitions with less strain than before. When the shackles are broken, adolescents can carry their own burdens like the valiant Vikings, who rowed their mighty warships through the waving, splashing ocean and carried their own weight. According to Alex and Brett Harris, authors of the book Do Hard Things, there are five kinds of hard things (Harris ch. 5-9). First, one must do things that require leaving one’s warm comfortable zone. One must also work past the expectations and requirements which have been set in place by society. Furthermore, one must do things that need the assistance of other people. One should do the small things, the things that are few in number and do not pay off immediately. While doing those hard things, lastly, one should take a firm stand against a society which is constantly creating illusions to hide the truth from teenagers. So why do teenagers need to work hard at these difficult things and not squander time during their adolescent years? It will help prepare them for adulthood and will strengthen their relationship with Christ. Teens should do the hard things, which others so quickly neglect, and hold strong to their faith in God.
Thank you so much Andrew for writing this paper. As a fellow teen, I often watch what you described happen. It is so encouraging to see other people who really understand the importance of pushing down the wall of society and working for the glory of Jesus Christ our Lord.