Ep. 26 - Do Hard Things

Teenagers get a bad wrap sometimes.  Largely because their accomplishments are held back by the low expectations our culture puts upon them.  In their book, "Do Hard Things," the Harris brothers enlighten young people to a rebellion against low expectations.  They talk about how to do things that move us past our comfort zones, reach out for support, and sow for long term reaping.  Their book is awesome for teenagers.  And it is also awesome for adults! In fact, our children will learn how to achieve their goals from watching us defy cultural standards and excelling in our faith!  Take a listen to hear Alex and Brett's story, and to try out their 5 tips for getting better.


- Look for things outside your comfort zone

- Don't limit yourself to what is expected or required

- Discover the power of teamwork and partnership

- Built for a better future, not just immediate payoff

- Take pride in being different for the Name of Christ

Transcript

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Hello, welcome to the Excel Still More podcast. I am your host, Chris Emerson, and we are here to talk about tips and strategies that you can employ to deepen your faith, improve your relationships, and just get the most out of your life. Thank you for joining. Let's get started. So today we're going to talk about do hard things. And it's not just a three-word title that fits our theme, although Excel Still More and Do Hard Things are closely related. This actually is a title of a tremendous book. One of the things I love about this program is not just that we get to talk about principles, connect them to scripture, and apply them, but I can also sometimes guide you towards literature or books that can deepen your understanding and just give you a way to do more exploring if you're interested. So today, before we get into do hard things and five particular ideas that can help you accomplish difficult tasks, I'll tell you more about the book. It was introduced to me back in 2011. I was preaching in Jackson, Mississippi for the week, staying with the preacher there. He knew I had kids at home, he knew I worked with young people at the church back in Texas, so he lays this book on me. He says, You gotta check this thing out, you'll love it. So again, the title was Do Hard Things, and I noticed on the front that it was written by two brothers, Alex and Brett Harris. Alex and Brett wrote this book back in 2008 when they were both teenagers, and the theme of it is just awesome. It was a message to their fellow teenagers that it's time to start a revolution. That's with a B, revolution. And what they were telling other young people is let's go out and let's start a rebellion. A rebellion against low expectations. They talk about America in the mid-20th century and where the term teenager came from and how that particular decade of humans have been trained to be consumers instead of producers. The expectations for our kids has gotten quite low in this country, just you know, go to school and try to stay out of trouble. And what they were saying is we can do better than that. We can blow the doors off of expectations, we can do things that other people won't, we can do hard things. And I just have to tell you right there, that fits perfectly with what this podcast series is about. We are here to talk about Excel still more, about no matter how far you've come or how well you're doing, that's just setting you up to reach new heights, do incredible new things, and make a bigger difference than you imagined. That was the message that they had for their fellow teenagers. They wrote blogs about it over the last 10 years. They've traveled around the country and world giving speeches. I encourage you to check it out. Check it out as a way to approach and discuss things with your teenagers, but really, as you're going to see today, the five main principles that they explore in this book are applicable for every single Christian of any age. I certainly commend you to the book, and this gives me an opportunity, first time on the podcast to do this. This gives me an opportunity to tell you about our new website, excelstillmore. If you go visit excelstillmore.life, you're going to see all of the podcast episodes and transcripts if you're interested in that. But at the top, you can click on resources and all of the books we reference in this program, any past episode, and we've already loaded up a few for future episodes. You can click on that book, you'll find Do Hard Things right there in the list. It will take you straight to Amazon and you can purchase it directly through the site. I encourage you to do that. This is something that after 2011, when I got back from Mississippi, I ordered these books and we went through it together, the young people, the teenagers at that church, three churches now since 2011. I have purchased these books and used them with these kids, and it really has helped to open them up to bigger goals and new accomplishments and really a lot of working together, which you're going to hear about in the episode today. So here's a bit more about the book. These two teenagers in Oregon, one summer, their dad puts a stack of books on the counter. They address all different types of topics and he asks them to read through the entire stack. Now the boys were probably just like my teenagers, they had no interest in that at all. But he challenged them to do something hard, to learn new things, and try new things. And so they did it. They respected their father, they didn't want to do it, they read the books all summer long. And it opened them up to all of this possibility and things that they could learn and differences that they could make. From there, they ended up going to Alabama and working in the Supreme Court system there that next year and making a big difference. And again, as I told you, their blog became super popular, and I read tons of testimonials and comments from young people all over the country that talked about how they needed a voice of excellence. The voice that they were hearing sometimes from their own parents, certainly in society, was that young people just don't do a whole lot except consume things and adults market to them in order to make money off of them by selling them things. This idea that I can be a producer, I can make a difference in my home, I can make a difference in the church, I can make a difference in the community. With just a few small attitude adjustments and some clear vision, these two young men started something that continues today and has a tremendous impact on communities, churches, and homes. Okay, so let's jump right in with the five things. And I just want to say something. If you are a parent or a grandparent, this is not rally up your kids and tell them what they need to do. This is more uh Reagan era trickle-down economics where it starts at the top, you start doing it, and then you get them to follow along. You say, Look, I'm about to make some changes, let's make some changes as a family. Here's the first thing. Look for things outside your comfort zone. Now that's common language, you hear all kinds of motivational things about getting outside of your comfort zone. But here's what's interesting to me. If you look through scripture, I mean Genesis to Revelation, doing the right thing, the thing that really made a difference was always hard. It was hard to build an ark. It was hard to offer your son on an altar or leave your homeland. It was hard to be a disciple of Jesus and make personal sacrifices. It was hard to be a first century Christian standing for what was right when the entire world was standing against you. I don't know what's going on today. And look, is it true of how we treat teenagers? It is, but it's also true of the general American concept that somehow things are supposed to be easy. And if we just do the easy things around us, we can live great Christian lives, go straight to heaven. I just don't know what Bible that's coming from. One thing that's been consistent since the beginning of time is that fewer people do the difficult things. But those are the people who change the world. So let me be clear on this. When we talk about getting outside of your comfort zone, here's what we mean. We mean if there is something, maybe it's in faith or finance or fitness or friendship, if you followed along with that episode or whatever, there are things that I know are important. I know that's good for me, or I know that thing would please God. I'm completely clear on how valuable that thing is. I just don't want to do it. That's what we mean. Outside your comfort zone, when you really get down to it, are valuable things that you just don't want to do. Comfort zone, those are the things that you enjoy. And most people stay right there. So if you're really interested in looking for things outside your comfort zone and making a difference, maybe in the way you serve God's people or hospitality or evangelism, you've got to point at that thing and say, that matters right there. That is exactly who God wants me to be, and I just don't want to do it. I don't want to fail, it takes too much work, it's just too hard. When you start realizing that important things that are also really hard are the best things, they're the most valuable things, it'll change the way you look at how you plan your week, journal in the mornings, the kind of frogs that you eat, and highlights that you set. I have to say this before we move on. Good friend of mine worships here with me in Lyndale, Ben Shipley. If Ben finds out about some new approach to health and he wants to try it, and they describe it to him and it's easy, he'll pass. The only way you can get him excited is if you prove to him that it is definitely good for him and also that it's really gonna hurt to do, he'll say, I'm in. For him, if it doesn't hurt a little, if it doesn't push him outside of what he's comfortable with, he's kind of like, What's the point? How am I gonna grow if I don't push? Okay, here's the second thing. Don't limit yourself to what is expected or required. So here's how this works. If you just go around as a Christian or in your family or whatever, doing only the things that you're comfortable with, you're telling everybody around what they can expect of you. And there are limitations to those expectations, and people get acclimated to that. Well, Chris, you know, he's good for this, but he's not so great for that, and that's just who he is. And teenagers buy into that tremendously. Well, we're just gonna do the few things that we're asked to do, and nobody expects anything more of us, and largely that's a big mistake we've made in our culture, but it's true. So the second do hard thing is don't limit yourself to what is expected. Get excited about what it will mean for your personal growth and how it will affect other people and God if you blow right past expectations. This reminds me of that church in 2 Corinthians eight that gave beyond even their ability to help needy saints in another place. The Bible says they did more than we expected because they first gave themselves to the Lord, and once they were working in the strength of God, they would not be limited by expectations or requirements. I think people should be excited about what it feels like and most importantly what it means to God when we blow past expectations. Nothing makes a parent feel better than when their child outperforms what was expected of them. Nothing makes a mate feel more romanced than when her normally couch ridden husband blows past all standards and washes the dishes. Even in the case of the Harris brothers, their dad expected them to read the material, and that was kind of a big ask, and they did it. But what he probably didn't expect is that it would light a fire in these boys that would ultimately have an impact on tens of thousands of young people around the country and world. They will not be limited by what is expected or required. They want to go beyond. Okay, so let's add a third element to this. Discover the power of teamwork and partnership. As you sit there listening today and you envision some things you could do in your faith that are really next level. You're not super comfortable with it, but you know how great it would be, and you know that nobody would expect to require it, but that's why you want to go beyond. You might be thinking, man, this is a great project, but there's no way I can do it on my own. What I'm here to tell you is that's not a reason to quit. That's a reason to reach out and create a support system, a community of helpers. Do you remember the story of Moses in Exodus chapter 18? He was working himself to death trying to judge the people, and his father in law Jethro shows up. Leave it to the father in law to say, listen, you cannot do this alone. He had just recently won a battle by holding a staff in the air Moses had only because two others supported his arms. And Jethro was saying, That's the kind of support you're going to need all the time. Moses went on to make some adjustments and get some help, and the people were better off for it. I'm here to tell you, if you really want to get outside of comfort zone and reach new heights, there are awesome things God has planned for you that you cannot do on your own. And I'm not demeaning you in any way. I'm saying it's time for step three, which is to go find people who want to do it with you. Whenever I wanted to read the Bible all the way through, I went and found someone else who also wanted to do that, and we held one another accountable. One year when Summer and I wanted to have all the families at church over for dinner, we asked another couple to participate in that and we alternated houses as we worked through the list. Okay, so number one, step outside comfort zone. Number two, go beyond what people expect. Number three, find others to help. And number four, build for a better future, not just immediate payoff. And don't we all fall into that trap sometimes? If I'm going to put myself out there and excel still more and give it all I got, I want to see some payoff today. I want some immediate feedback that says that courage is rewarded. But of course, if you're a student of the New Testament church, you know that that's never been the way that it was. You do things that are right, things that you believe in, and while God may take care of you, the great reward, the ultimate payoff will be seen one day when the image of Jesus appears before us. Think about that great list of people in Hebrews 11 and all of the really difficult things that they did. The text says they were looking for a better country. Maybe God would reward them today, but they were in it for where it was going, for the hope of heaven with the Lord. And people need to understand that most great things you'll accomplish in your faith is because you're focused on heaven. And so here's what you have to do. You have to say, I'm going to try something new. Maybe it has to do with fitness, we've talked about that. Or even finances. Those are two categories where people have a difficult time doing something hard because the next day when they look in the mirror or they check their savings account, the change isn't there. Invest yourself in long-term benefit. Lord willing, if you're here ten years from now, a few changes in comfort zone habits today in either one of those categories can pay ridiculous dividends. Okay, and then here's the last thing. The last thing is we have to do things that challenge the cultural norm. One of the biggest dangers to the church today is that largely we just start to look like, sound like, dress like, go to the same places with, and love all the same things that everybody in our community loves. We prioritize in very similar ways, except we go to church on Sundays. I think one of the areas where it is time to do hard things is when we do things that put the kingdom of Christ first, knowing that nobody else at our school, nobody else we work with will understand, but we will not let cultural norms and pressures define how far we'll go for Jesus. You remember what Jesus said in Matthew chapter five? He talked about being a light in the world, a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden, illuminated, a reflection of his light, different, so that maybe we can lead people to God. If we look just like everybody else, we will lead no one anywhere. They won't even know where to find Christ. We are the light of Christ in this world. So if you're looking for an area to excel still more this week, think about things in your life where you used to be a lot different than the world. You used to worship instead of stay home. You used to talk a lot about Jesus instead of just sports. You were different, and you've seen that change a little bit. I think it's time to do some hard things, and those things will noticeably defy social norms. A rebellion against low expectations. So as we close, let me run you back through this. Number one, we're looking for things outside of our comfort zone. We will not be limited to what is expected or required of us. We will discover the power of teamwork and partnership, and we're building for a better future, not just immediate payoff. And if we take any pride in this at all, it's in being different than the world in the name of Jesus. Now let me tell you as we close where you can find more information on this. Remember, excelstillmore.life. If you click on this episode, there are show notes there. All five of the points are listed there. There's a transcript, and then remember under resources, you can just order your own copy of the book. I really recommend that you do that. Hope that you have a wonderful day. And I don't mean an easy day. I mean a wonderful day, and maybe that includes do hard things. Thank you so much for listening today. If you would like to support this program, go check out our new website, excelstillmore.life. You can subscribe to emails there. There are book recommendations, show notes, lots of great things. We'd love for you to check it out. And don't forget to share this program with your friends if you think it'll help them, and you can always follow along on the Facebook page. And please remember whatever you do today in the name of the Lord Jesus, excel still more.