The Rebelution discussion

Aright everyone! Now's your time to share with the group the "hard things" you've done recently. (It can be within a year). This also includes the "small hard things" you've done. Let's all try to encourage one another as we share.

Conquered my gaming addiction, and used my free time to spend quality time with my young siblings. Probably the hardest thing I've ever done, because one of the main reasons for my gaming was rocky relationships with my siblings.

That's great David! I don't have anything like that, but since we are also supposed to share the small things, I'll add mine.
Recently I got over my fear of people. I am a quiet person in big groups and I've been given many opportunities to talk to all kinds of people. I never took advantage of that until recently. I'm still working on it, but I think of this as a first small step in the right direction.
Would anybody else like to share?

I have a whole list of hard things I can do, but sometimes they seem just too hard. Others are somewhat fun and I'm motivated to do them but there is nothing super big. I guess one of my small hard things was praying aloud in a group which is . . . SCARY for me! I don't know why, exactly, it just scares me.

Publishing a book! Which is an especially fun "hard thing" to share here since the project has been on The Rebelution.
http://therebelution.com/blog/2014/08...

A less enjoyable (for me) hard thing has been starting to go to the gym recently. Thankfully I go with a friend, which makes it more fun. :)

Yeah, I can't wait to start reading it. I pre-ordered it so I have to wait.
:( That in itself is a "hard thing". Actually, I do have a lot of trouble practicing patience, especially with my siblings. That's definitely something I have to be working on more.

Okay, so I'm the new (older) person in the group, but I'm encouraged to read all the stories here about you all doing hard things, praise God for your motivation especially in a culture where teens are kind of written off as angsty, uncaring, and selfish. All I can say, is keep doing the hard things of life because believe me at 32 years of age, I've dealt with a lot of hard things and unfortunately, things only get harder as you get older. So it's good to get a head start and tackle your fears, goals, and stumbling blocks now so when you're older, there are less things to regret when you look back on your life. Okay, the old man is done preaching. :)

So here's my recent hard thing that I'm still working on: learning to trust God with my money. It's really tough not to use my money on stuff for me or my family rather than give it to someone who needs it, especially when I've got bills to pay, expenses, etc. So recently, God's really been showing me how much I need to let go of my hold on money and start giving it up to Him because He controls it all anyway. It's a VERY hard thing, but I've been taking steps to get better at being a generous giver and not worrying so much about how God is going to provide for my family.

I'm glad you decided to join Daniel. Thank you for your advice, I agree that we should get a head start on things and learn early. The longer you wait to start the harder it is to learn later. I'm also encouraged to see what people are learning and overcoming in their lives. Thank you all so much for sharing with us!!

One of the really small hard things I've begun to do recently is just smile at homeless people. This may sound really pathetic, but it's a start for me. I normally can't even look at the ones downtown because it physically pains me to see people living in those conditions. I've found some videos where people have interviewed homeless people around them, and they've said that just a smile can mean the world to them, since usually they are disrespected or ignored. I've still got a long way to go, since I'd love to do something to help them, but I don't know what or when or how, but I'm making progress!

That's great Hannah! Keep at it. :)

Alright, I have a small hard thing I've been doing since last year and it's going really well. So, I love to read (as most of you know), but I was reading a lot of fiction, and fantasy, but not getting in any history or classics. Reading fiction or fantasy isn't bad, but I was reading too much of it just for pleasure. I am now doing this thing where I read one classic or other educational book along with a book for pleasure. This lets me get something out of my reading but also doesn't fry my brain. :) I am enjoying it, and I've found I really like reading deeper books.

Also, I just finished a Bible reading plan. It was to read the Bible in 90 days and I finished in 88. :) This was another small hard thing because it was the first time I've read the whole Bible from start to finish! :D

That's great Astrid, and yes it makes sense. I'm trying to do the same thing with my novel, have a clear gospel message without sounding forceful or preachy. I'm also trying to weave it into the story so it doesn't seem interruptive.

Yes, I agree with you completely!!!! :D

That is great Astrid!!! Congratulations!! Do you enjoy your work?

Well, about five months ago, I played piano for some elderly people in a nursing home.
I was really nervous and wasn't sure I could get up my courage to do it, but then once I looked at the whole situation with a different perspective, I was really encouraged by the fact that, I was doing it as an act of service to my king.

A "hard thing" I do every year is devote my summer (and Lord willing, if I make Nationals, my fall) to the study and memorization of God's Word through the National Bible Bee! Last fall I memorized 750 verses in 29 days :)

Oh, the Bible Bee is awesome! I love it :)

Some friends of mine do the Bible Bee. I never have, but I wish I was better at memorizing.

@Astrid: Yes, having all the verses in my mind is such a blessing! It's so worth it :)

@Tamara: That's awesome! Do you know what age division they're in?

Well, I don't know details about how the Bible Bee works. My friend who does it is my age, so 17, and her siblings are older, 19 and 20's I think. I don't know how the divisions work though.

Oh, okay, cool. If she's 17, that would be my division, the senior division. :)

Okay, cool!! I didn't know they had age divisions.

I finished my homework (science AND math). Normally this wouldn't be a hard thing, but today I was feeling unmotivated. :)