Uncommen: Start at the FinishSample

Game Over, Try Again

"Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." Mark 1:35

"Game Over," the screen says, so you hit "try again." Maybe this time you'll be lucky! But, of course, life isn't a video game, and there are no Jumanji resets, so what can we do to better prepare for our life challenges?

Let's start with what you do consistently every day. What routines do you have in place for the day's challenges? Mine include an early wake-up, a treadmill, a podcast, and Scripture. This routine wakes me up, helps me focus, and starts me off strong to meet the day's challenges.

My wake-up routine gets me going for whatever challenges are ahead of me. It isn't always perfect, but when I focus on the day's challenges at the beginning of my day, I am usually better prepared to face expected and, more importantly, unexpected challenges. I look ahead, know what is coming, and use this routine to reach my goal. I've tried tackling my day's goals with no plan, but I rarely succeed. What works for me is to start with where I need to be and walk backward from there while simultaneously identifying the best way to get there and the possible obstacles along the way. The better we prepare, the better we are ready.

When we review Jesus's three-year ministry, we see that He also had an overall and daily plan. Jesus often prayed in solitude to His Father. It was part of His general routine. His actions were purposeful. Fortified with prayer, He knew what His goals for the day were to follow the will of His Father and used those goals to plan the best way to accomplish them. "And in the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, went away to a secluded place, and prayed there for a time" (Mark 1:35). We see that Jesus did this routinely, too: "but Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray" (Luke 5:16)

No doubt, as Jesus added His twelve, He made some adjustments to account for His disciples' different personalities or needs. And, of course, if Jesus felt like He needed to pray before He started His day/His plan, that might be a good idea for us as well.

Uncommen Questions:
What routines do you have?
Do those routines help or hinder your daily challenges?

Uncommen Challenge:
Look at the "steps" you take or "buttons" you push each day for today's challenge. Do these routine things help your day? First, find one part of your routine you can drop and plan to do it for a week. Next, find one other thing you are not doing (maybe reading Scripture each morning), and plan on doing it for a week. Keep in mind that your routine is meant to help you meet your challenges prepared, not hinder your capability to satisfy them!