Small, Hard Things

from the chapter “Small Hard Things,” in the book Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations, by Alex and Brett Harris.

Once again, I am impressed by the practical value of the material assembled and written by these young writers.

Key Quote: “The truth is that your life (both now and later) will require you to invest a lot of time and energy in things that aren’t big and that don’t seem to make much of an impact” (p. 134)

Five Excuses for Failing to do Small Hard Things:
1. Procrastination
2. Inconsistency
3. Compromise
4. Begrudging
5. Cheating

One of the “smallest,” hardest things in my life is prayer. And I think I can apply each one of the points above.
1. Persistence - I many times put prayer off until a better time, but there rarely is.
2. Inconsistency - So some days, I fit in prayer, and some days I don’t.
3. Compromise - One area of compromise is praying on the run. Instead of getting into position to wrestle with God in prayer, I think that I can as effectively pray on the fly. But this kind of prayer lacks seriousness and reverence.
4. Begrudging – this shows up especially when it is time to pray with others. These times can be precious and powerful, but letting go of the time that I selfishly call “mine” is difficult.
5. Cheating – when I spend some time thinking about someone, and call it “prayer,” it is cheating. Thinking and a problem and praying for a person are not the same thing.

Here are some habits for doing Small, Hard Things:
1. work hard
2. maintain a postive attitude
3. live with self-discipline and integrity
4. serve others

Again, all these can be applied to prayer.