PbyCj

So, I guess there’s just a lot to say this week. I normally don’t do more than one post per week—honestly, I remember when I was happy just doing one per month. But here we are. If you’re reading this, hello and welcome to PbyCJ.com, where it’s personal now.

I just have it on my heart to talk about stress and how I’m not dealing with it in 2025. Like, at all. I believe around mid-2022, I started realizing how much stress had a grip on me. But as I was trying to process it, life kept happening—phone calls, responsibilities, unexpected things—but yeah, those past two and a half years were so challenging for me. And I’m just thankful. Thankful to have overcome things within myself. Thankful for God’s grace and mercy. Because seriously, where would I be without that?

The Weight of Stress

I understand stress. I really do. I’ve lived with it—high levels of it. The kind that lingers, the kind that dictates your emotions, your responses, your perspective. And I didn’t know how to deal with it. A lot of my adult life has been fresh, new, uncharted. I wasn’t prepared for a lot of the challenges I faced, and I spent so much time letting those circumstances take hold of me instead of me taking hold of them.

But then something shifted. I started experiencing the peace of God in a way I never had before. I started experiencing His favor, His presence, His faithfulness. And now? Now, I refuse to go back. I’m not going back to stress. I’m not going back to freaking out, to anxiety, to depression, to oppression. I’ve spent too much of my life in that place. Too much time not living fully, not walking in peace, not embracing hope. And I refuse.

Hope is Everything

Hope is so important. And I have hope in Christ. I refuse to live with a mind filled with negativity and despair, refusing to see the possibilities of God. The Word says the hope we have in the Lord does not disappoint, and we overcome every situation by faith. So, I’m rolling with that. I’m holding onto what God says.

Philippians 4:6-7 says:

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

That Scripture applies to everything. No situation is so big or chaotic that it cancels out what God has spoken. When Paul wrote that, it wasn’t just words on a page—it was truth breathed by the Holy Spirit. And I’m taking it for what it is.

Standing Firm

I’ve tried living outside of God’s peace. I’ve tried handling things my own way. It’s horrible. It doesn’t work. So now? I don’t care what’s happening around me—I’m not stepping outside of the peace of God.

The Word says, “Having done all, to stand.” So that’s what I’m doing. That’s what I’m holding onto. I’ll do what needs to be done, I’ll move forward, and I’ll stay in the peace of God. That’s it.

Stress isn’t running my life in 2025. Period.