Editor’s Note: as TheReb as an active site draws to a close, we wanted to give as many rebelutionaries as possible a chance to share how the movement has impacted them. Our hope is that as you read the following testimonials, you will be encouraged to live out the message of TheReb—rebelling against society’s low expectations and doing hard things for the glory of God—even after it closes. Stay tuned over the next four weeks (Tuesdays and Thursdays) to see more posts like this one as we celebrate 19 years of TheRebelution!
“It was September of 2023, and my family was undergoing a crisis. Our church family had stepped away and our extended family lived too far away to be able to do anything to help. So, my family and I struggled through the challenge leaning on one another and our faith for strength. Because of the struggle, God put it on my heart to write about my family’s experience. I didn’t know what I was doing or if my writing would ever see the light of day, but I diligently continued week after week, trusting that if God was really putting this on my heart, He would find a way to use it. This was the first time I ever undertook to write something so precious to me and the more I wrote, the more passion I got for writing about my experience. I had been at the Young Writers Workshop for some time at that point and I would regularly see other writers in the community talking about publishing on the Rebelution. I did not know what that was, so one day I decided to check it out. I spent a whole afternoon reading articles and scouring the blog. I could not believe that the writing I was reading had been written by teens! Almost immediately I knew I wanted my writing to be on the Reb, and by God’s grace, my article was published in honor of Veteran’s Day last year. I am so thankful for the Reb because it really impacted my life, giving me a voice when I felt I had none, and providing me with encouragement. It also gave me the confidence to prepare to launch my own blog (We Signed Up Too) with my sister next year! Even though the Reb won’t be posting any more articles, I know that it will continue to impact my, and countless other teens’ lives, for years to come. THANK YOU!” – Sinaiyah Emami
“The book Do Hard Things is truly one of the most impactful books I have ever read. It completely changed my outlook on life. It taught me why hard things happen and how I should respond to them. It showed me that I should embrace hard things and face them head on, and sometimes, choose to do hard things because they’re hard. This has caused me to live the past few years of my life with more intention and more focus on what really matters. To be in the mindset of doing hard things for the glory of God truly has given me the freedom of knowing that my life has a purpose, and that purpose is to live boldly for Christ. I am so grateful to Alex and Brett for sharing their story and outlook, and to all of you rebelutionaries out there who are doing small (and big!) hard things every single day. The Rebelution as a platform has made a wonderful impact on my life as an encouraging place to learn new things and hear other perspectives on how to tackle the things of this world. I am sad that this season is coming to a close. But as I learned from Brett himself, life has many seasons, and sometimes moving into a new season of life can bring fantastic growth that you never expected. I think that every person should read Do Hard Things, and I will continue to share its message with the people around me as I continue to pursue hard things for the glory of God, all the days He has planned for me. Thank you to Brett, Alex, Sara, every person who has published an article on TheReb, and every rebelutionary, for your time and perseverance in doing hard things. Never stop.” – Madeline Grace
“My mom gave me the Do Hard Things book about 5 months ago and I discovered the website about a month later. This book has changed my life in such an amazing way and has inspired me to do more than I thought I could do. It has inspired me to try out things I would have never thought of doing on my own. Not only have I extended my limits and pushed my comfort zone in areas I found difficult, The Reb has also motivated me to improve my everyday habits. The Reb has been such an inspiration to me, and I would just like to thank everyone who contributed to the movement. I hope that this movement never dies, that it will continue for years to come, and that it will be an inspiration to more and more teens worldwide.” -Cameron Bull
“I just want to say thank you, Alex and Brett, for your faithfulness. Your message has blessed me throughout my life. I am 31 now, but I first heard of your message when I was a teenager. Your books impacted the course of my life in a massive way. They challenged and blessed me and encouraged me to always do my best for Jesus and make my life count. I believe it was the message of Do Hard Things which led me to Bible College. I am now privileged to be a youth pastor and try to pass on the same enthusiasm for Jesus to these young people. To this day I remember the message of doing hard things, and with God’s strength, press on and accept new challenges that come my way. Once again, thank you, and God bless you.” – Natalie
