A couple of weeks ago, I was driving the all too familiar (and all too crowded with people who forget where they live) road from Pulaski to Huntsville. It’s a good 45 minute drive down the same two lane road. And let me tell you, I think I saw about 20 different yard sales happening. No exaggeration! It was the first gorgeous spring Saturday, and everyone was taking advantage of it by purging their homes and garages of things they didn’t want or need any longer.

I LOVE yard sales, probably as much as I hate beans. It took all of the willpower I had to keep the old Prius on the straight and narrow down to Huntsville. What I really wanted, though, was to stop and spend hours sifting through other people’s castaways, because I LOVE yard sales. And not just because you can find awesome stuff at awesome prices, but I just love the premise! Taking time to sort through and get rid of things cluttering your life? That’s great!

Since it’s yard sale season, and you may even be thinking of having a yard sale sometime this summer, why don’t you have a heart yard sale. Well, mental yard purge, because the things you need to get rid of shouldn’t be given to anyone else, either! Here are a few things to rid your heart of during this wonderful time of spring cleaning and house purging:

1: Worry (Phil. 4:6-7) – There are always things going on that are outside of your control. There are always things going on that are bad and hard to deal with. There are always things that are stressful and mind-consuming. But don’t let worry camp out in your mind. If it’s already set up shop, get rid of it! When we worry, we are showing that we lack the trust in God that we ought to have. It’s crucial that the Christian’s life be characterized by faith and trust, so take some time to rid your life of worry (hint: you can achieve this through prayer).

2: Bitterness (Gal. 5:14-15) – This is a serious one, because it’s so hard to find! It camps out in the very depths of your heart, only to be seen when it grows. but it’s dangerous! The verses referenced there say, “ For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!” It is so very easy to let yourself think negatively toward those who have hurt you or wronged your loved ones, but harboring those feelings will endanger your soul. Definitely get rid of this one!

3: Vanity (Ecc.) – As women, it is so easy to spend a lot of time thinking about ourselves. Our shape, our haircut, our makeup, our hair color, our nails, our clothes, our shoes…there are so many things that so many of us like…and that’s evidenced by the amount of yard sales, isn’t it? We acquire so much STUFF, and we fixate on so much CARNAL, that we don’t learn the lessons Solomon was trying to teach us: everything this life has to offer is vanity, spend your time serving God. There are mornings I wake up and look disgusting. Sometimes, the temptation is to not go out in public because I feel gross. Other days I’m in a shopping mood, and really want to go buy something! Sometimes, the temptation is to spend the extra money on myself rather than give it to the Lord. If you struggle with over-emphasizing your looks and your stuff, focus this week on emphasizing Jesus. On maximizing His presence in your life, instead of focusing on earthly things that will one day amount to nothing more than a hill of beans. Eww, beans again. Yuck.

Obviously there are more things we probably need to purge our lives of, but these are things that I know I need to purge. Maybe you’ll join me! And if not with these, then maybe some other things! And hey, if you think of more things, let me know. I’m sure I need to purge those too!