This vs That

You know, life is full of choices — big and small. Every day we face a constant tug-of-war between this and that. This path or that one. This mindset or that habit. This way that pleases God, or that way that feels easier in the moment.

Paul writes in Romans 12:2 (NLT): “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

That verse challenges us to stop living on autopilot. The world tells us one thing — chase success, hold grudges, look out for yourself — but God calls us to something different: humility, forgiveness, trust.

Every “this or that” decision reveals what kind of person we’re becoming — not just what we believe, but who we follow.

So maybe today, it’s not about getting everything right. Maybe it’s about pausing long enough to ask, “Which voice am I listening to — the world’s or God’s?”

Have you ever had to make a choice, and it was just so hard to pick or know what to do?

Many times in life I have struggled to decide whether I should do something or not. I would wonder if it was the right choice. I would wonder if my hesitation was mine or because God was trying to talk to me.

Sometimes we can get in our own way. We can question, make lists, and do our best to make the most informed decision, but what if God just wants us to say, “I will go”?

So, as you come to a decision, seek the Lord first. With this, you will have more clarity and understanding, and when you do make your choice, you won’t question yourself because you will be confident in what God has led you to.

I don’t know about you, but I struggle to ask for things. The funny thing is, I’ve had this conversation with many lately, so I know all of y’all struggle as well.

When I see others struggling, I do offer to help, but I also wonder why they just didn’t ask for help. But then I sit there doing the same thing.

This is because it is easier for us to deal with things on our own and not bother anyone else.

We think that handling it ourselves is exactly what we need to do. We would rather struggle on our own than bring someone else into our issues.

But God says that iron sharpens iron and that we all need community and connection. But when we have the opportunity to reach out, we choose to sit in this thing more than asking for that help.

I’m right there with y’all… it is hard, and I’m very slowly, at a snail’s pace, learning when to even ask for prayer.

Let’s learn together that it is okay to ask — especially to ask God.

I’m pretty easygoing and not picky at all when it comes to food and where to eat, so the question of what you want to eat is not one that my husband and I have ever really struggled with.

But I have seen plenty of people struggle with just trying to figure that out. They just can’t choose, and so they just say they are fine with whatever.

But are we really just fine with whatever?

If we talked with God and honestly said, “God, I’m just fine with whatever You lead me to. I’m just fine with whatever You ask me to do. I’m fine with whatever…” — would we really mean it?

We have our wants, and we hope those come to fruition, but sometimes in our calling it can be the opposite of what we want, and we can struggle.

All this to say, it is okay to struggle and ask questions, but know that if God calls you, don’t doubt, don’t weigh things out — just trust and follow, knowing that God has got all this under control.

Let’s be honest — choosing God’s way doesn’t always come naturally.

When someone wrongs us, the world says, “Get even.” God says, “Forgive.”

When life feels uncertain, the world says, “Take control.” God says, “Trust Me.”

When we’re tired or overwhelmed, the world says, “Do whatever makes you happy.” God says, “Come to Me, and I’ll give you rest.”

“This vs. That” is really about surrender. Every day, we have to decide who gets the final say — our feelings or our faith.

And when we choose this — meaning God’s way — something beautiful happens. He changes the way we think. Suddenly, peace replaces worry. Hope replaces fear. Love replaces bitterness.

We become less like the world and more like Jesus.

Romans 12:2 (NLT): “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

We have ducks, and we have a pretty big pond, and they go in it as ducks do. But when it rains, they prefer to go to the smaller puddles and eat and clean themselves.

I find this odd and interesting all at the same time.

Sometimes we can have all we need, and we are feeling content in what we have until we notice something that might be better. Well, is it really better? It might be different but not necessarily better.

So, we go over to that other place, and we do what we normally would do, but it just isn’t the same.

So, we can now make a choice. Do we stay in what we were once content with, or do we stay with the new thing, even though it is not really what we want?

Sometimes the best thing we can do is stay where we are until we know that the something new is where God is leading us. We need some discernment and leading before choosing this over that.

Learning what we need to surrender is one thing. Actually surrendering is another. And then to do it daily… wow.

Daily, I think, being the key word — especially when our daily things change constantly.

There is this weight that is carried when we feel like we have to make a choice and a change daily. It seems too hard, but once we start and our habit is set, we find out that it actually wasn’t hard, and it fits in with our day just fine.

When we choose to follow God daily, we are making a stand and saying that we will follow Him over anything and above anything.

Once we make that conscious choice, we find that what once seemed hard is now easy and something that we want more than ever.

“This vs. That” moments don’t just show up in big life decisions — they show up in small, ordinary ones too.

How we speak to our family in the morning.

How we react when plans fall apart.

How we treat the person who’s hard to love.

Every moment is an opportunity to reflect who we belong to.

When we choose patience instead of frustration, grace instead of gossip, prayer instead of panic — we’re choosing this over that. And those choices, little as they seem, shape our hearts and strengthen our faith.

Romans 12:2 (NLT): “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

God doesn’t just want to change our behavior — He wants to renew our minds so that our everyday decisions look more like His heart.

I was talking with someone recently about the change God made in me — with my attitude and how I handle things — and that it took a lot of time for me to fully grasp what I was doing, and then a long time to fix the issue with God’s help, of course.

God molds and changes our hearts and our way of thinking and how we act and react.

The biggest change I have seen through my choice to change has been in the relationships with my kids and husband.

It is hard to relearn things and adapt new ways of thinking and doing things, but they are things that God convicted me of, and so therefore a daily choice was needed to make those changes. That choice was to ask for God’s help and guidance so that I could be better at what my family needed.

How do you reflect God to others? This was a question I asked myself for about a year… how am I perceived?

I knew how I wanted to be seen, but I wasn’t living that way. Not that I was living badly, but I wasn’t living in the way where I felt that when others saw me, they saw God.

That question spurred me to seek how God saw me, how I saw myself, and what I needed to do to make changes so those things aligned better.

I’m still a work in progress, but because I decided to choose this way of thinking over that one I was thinking, it changed things.

So much of what we believe comes from our own thoughts and how we think we measure up. And if we never ask God to help us see and understand things from His perspective, we can really stunt our growth.

Choose to let God teach and guide you in all things, and just be in awe of what He can do.

As you go through your day, remember this: God’s will isn’t found by accident — it’s discovered through transformation.

When you stop copying the world and start letting God shape your thoughts, you begin to see life differently. You respond differently. You love differently.

So today, when you’re faced with “this vs. that,” pause and pray — “Lord, help me choose what honors You.”

Because every right choice, every small surrender, every faithful moment — brings you closer to His good, pleasing, and perfect will.

And that’s where true peace lives.