"Bite off more than you can chew, then chew it. Plan more than you can do, then do it" I live by this and that's dangerous.

I have been struggling with a few things lately due to the amount of things I have put on my plate and I saw this quote the other day and it really resonated with me. I know that I am always trying to squeeze in more and more. I think that is the major draw of triathlon for me, it's a sport that doesn't come natural to me and no matter who you are , you will never "beat the game". You will always need to swim, bike, or run faster or at least be able to do it easier than you did the previous time. This is the same story for almost any sport we can participate in as adults, be it Triathlons, Running, Cycling, Crossfit, Church league softball, etc... YOU get to make the decision what your goals are in a activity and I promise, you are never as good as you could be. Your body may be in the best shape you can get it in but your technique can use work. I guess my point here would be... perfection is unobtainable, even in something as simple as a sport, but does that mean we shouldn't chase it, absolutely not. I had a boss once that told me "you'll never get it perfect, but if you keep trying it will always be done as good as you can do it" That has stuck with me for a long time.

I have not been saved that long and have admittedly, very little intellectual knowledge of the Bible but in an attempt to bring this point back around full circle...how do you find balance? This is a double edged sword in almost every adults life. Whether it is a sport your trying to be the best you can be at, a job, being a mother, father or a husband or wife... or all of the above. A professor from Australia said "‘Those over 40 have the strongest work ethic’ he said. And he adds that we work the longest hours in the developed world. Other patterns – too much eating, too much continuous stress, too little sleep, too much hostility, too little physical activity – can all lead to higher incidences of illness and even death." It's a lot of pressure and I know for me, between trying to be a good husband, a good provider, and being a good athlete at the age of 30 and take care of my body, and just plain ol' having fun takes up pretty much all my time. Matter of fact 99% of the time a couple of things are usually getting abused due to the desire to learn more or do better at one specific thing. The major problem with that lately has been... God is almost always the first thing to get pushed out of the way. I am embarrassed to say how many times I have fallen asleep during a prayer at night. The next day Im like "wow, I couldn't break away from whatever I was doing to give God some solid time, get it together Steidley" So how do I correct that? How do I find the balance? I think it is a matter of putting him at the top of the list. A lot of times I try to do every single thing by myself then call on God, like he's a mascot for my life, when I need a pick me up, or when something went just right. I believe it to be true, that God wants in every aspect of our life. Indeed a day should start and end with God but what Im striving for in my personal life is to take God to work, to take him when I go training, to take him into a conversation with my wife, I need to take him everywhere. I have faith that if I lean on God for answers, he will provide. So when I am stressed out and think I can't chew everything I have bitten off or do everything I have planned, he will guide me through that and either give me strength or show me the areas of my life that need tending to first. I want to act like I don't know why it's so easy to push God to the side but that is one answer that is simple, hard to deal with, but simple... Im simply taking advantage of his forgiveness, and when you think about what Jesus did on that cross, thats a hard truth to deal with. So for me I just thank God that he is merciful, forgiving and all knowing because I think we all condemn ourselves and others will condemn you because we can't be perfect, we can't get it all right, we will always be sort of stumbling through life, and I will always be trying to find that perfect balance in life while I continue to grow and mature. I know I will be asking God to guide my footsteps and help me navigate my crazy life in the coming days and months and I know Im going to fail at it, but I hope to get up and keep going, so I can try to put myself in a position where God can use me, and Im going to fail at that too and take the easy way out... but it's verses like these that bring me joy and hope and I hope they bring you joy and hope and make you feel okay with pushing yourself and asking more of yourself at home, at work and in the gym. I don't think it will ever feel "just right" but just give it a try.
Romans 8:33-39 ³³ Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶ As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;
    we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”^[a]

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[b] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.