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<p>“Show for what, Todd? That’s a pretty abstract opening for a blog. You do want me to read your post, don’t you?”</p>
<p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3725" src="https://toddkmarsha.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/dumbbell-rack-400x267-1.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="267" /></p>
<p>Excuse my momentary lapse of reason. I only meant to make the point that what I’m sharing with you today can apply to almost any area of anyone’s life. I choose to illustrate my point using my daily workout.</p>
<h3>Cause and Effect – Action and Reaction</h3>
<p>As I was walking downstairs to the locker room after another less than fulfilling workout, God sent me something to contemplate. I felt like he was saying, “If you show up late and can only do part of what you planned, are you really helping matters?”</p>
<p>That stopped me in my tracks and got me thinking about the downstream effects of my decisions. I’d been seeing over and over again how one slip up today can turn into an epic collapse several steps down the road. If I get up late I leave the house late and if I leave the house late I arrive at the gym late and that means I have to cut my workout short or risk being late to work. When I cut my workout short I don’t get the full benefit. Fifteen minutes of high-intensity interval cardio is not as effective as twenty minutes. Five minutes of stretching is not as good as ten minutes.</p>
<p>Will there ever be a day when my lifestyle doesn’t depend on doing certain things at certain times in order to keep the train from running off the tracks? Perhaps not. Something tells me I may not get what I want as I continue down this path God has led me to.</p>
<p>So what’s my Plan B?</p>
<h3>Presence – It’s Plan A, B and C</h3>
<p>Perhaps it’s what ought to be my Plan A – a life of disciplined determination, perseverance, and commitment to being fully present in each phase of my day. Presence has plagued me a long time. Seems like I’m always looking at what needs to be done next instead of what needs to be done now.</p>
<p>That’s no way to live…</p>
<p>Jesus always lived in the moment because he knew what was coming next. He had no worries about what lurked around the next corner because he knew he’d get there eventually and that God had prepared him to face what he’d find.</p>
<p>When it comes right down to it, God’s prepared us all in the same way. So many sayings, like “God doesn’t give us more than we can handle in a given day,” or “Why worry when you can pray?” It’s all right here in front of us. I need not worry about what’s coming because God knows and if I’m connected to him I’ll be ready.</p>
<p>The day after God threw that workout brick at my head I wizened up. I looked at the holes in my schedule and the mistakes I was making and started over. I got up on time, got to the gym on time, left on time and arrived at work 5 minutes early. I was focused at each step along the way. Things didn’t go perfectly but they went well. With one victory under my belt, it’s time to take a look at the rest of my day.</p>
<p>God bless,</p>
<p><a href="http://www.witnesspath.com/about" rel="author">Todd Marsha</a></p>
<p><strong><em>Question: Has there been a time when you discovered you were only doing something to check a box, rather than to get the most of the activity for yourself, others and the glory of God? I’d love to read your thoughts in the form of a comment below&#8230;</em></strong></p>
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