Deciding What to Keep

Taking a good look at our hearts and laying out everything inside is the excavation work in this spring cleaning series.

It’s the digging, the revealing, the heavy lifting. And now we’re asking a question:

What do I do with all that’s left?

Going through my closet looks so easy as I peruse Pinterest. My feed is flooded with ideas for getting rid of things I don’t need so I’m left with only the best.

  • Turn hangers around!
  • Donate every 3rd item!
  • Create a capsule wardrobe!

The internet screams so many things it all just sounds like chaos, and I think it’s easier to close my closet and go eat a brownie.

It can be like that with the heart stuff, too. I can get overwhelmed listening to every well-meaning theory of what’s best for me. But the bottom line is these people don’t know me. They don’t know my life, hurts, experiences, broken places.

The key to deciding what to hold onto in life is going to God. Share on X

It’s that simple and that complicated. I will never be able to craft a 500 word post that tells every unique person out there what they need to do. But God knows. We just need to go to Him and ask.

Here’s a few questions to start with as we look at each thing we’ve uncovered in our heart:

  • Does this honor God?
  • Does it belong here right now?
  • Is this the best thing for me?
  • Was this meant for a different season in my life?
  • Do I need to let this go?
Knowing what to keep is just about asking the right questions. Don't miss this Spring Cleaning for the Heart post!

Asking God isn’t a one-and-done activity.

He’s not a gumball machine. He wants us in relationship with Him. He tells us to come to Him, over and over, to petition Him for answers. And the best news? He promises His peace when we do!

Thank you Father for being here and knowing me.

Help me come to You for help. I don’t want to rely on anyone or anything but You, and what You know to be best for me.

May I seek you over and over, all of my days.


Click here for more of this life changing series!

Spring is the perfect time for a good cleaning, especially for your heart!

Sharing words with these great writers! Visit them to be encouraged today!

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Author: Rebecca Hastings

Rebecca is a writer and speaker encouraging women to find real faith that works in real life. A wife and mother of three in Connecticut, she can often be found typing words, driving her kids places or wherever there is chocolate.

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  • This had me laughing out loud: “The internet screams so many things it all just sounds like chaos, and I think it’s easier to close my closet and go eat a brownie.” Great post pointing us back to Jesus.

  • I love the questions. Those will help me as I work on my own heart spring cleaning. And I agree with Nicki that I laughed while reading your sentence about the internet screaming so many things. 🙂 Blessings!

  • These are great questions to declutter what needs to go and stay in our lives, Rebecca! I’m going to copy and paste these somewhere! Thanks for the practical inspiration, my friend! Pinning and tweeting!

  • It most definitely is God who holds the key to help us decide what we are to be doing. He is the best guide we have!! #tellhisstory linkup

  • It’s so true, there are so many opinions and pieces of advice out there. It can be overwhelming. It is important to tune it all out sometimes and look to God for the answers.

  • This post is speaking to me in the category of stewarding my “yeses.” There are ten thousand ways we can spend our time, and we have only so much energy and time to invest meaningfully. I’m in a season of looking at all the things I do and wondering what gets to stay and what has to go in order to make room for the new.
    And yes, the internet is screaming all the answers in every direction, but I’d rather self-medicate with ice cream, thanks.

    • Oh, yes. Self-medicating with chocolate is my typical approach 🙂

      Sometimes I get frustrated that the internet is so loud, but I just realized I let it in. And I can control how much I allow in. Not that I want to. 😉

      Our time is such a tricky topic. I am in a transition with my kids being tweens/teens. Everything about life seems to be changing and I’ve been struggling to keep it all going smoothly. I think I need to do some reassessments.

  • “The key to deciding what to hold onto in life is going to God.” Rebecca, it is this simple AND complicated as you mentioned. There’s no way to capture everyone’s unique plan, it’s up to us to go to our heavenly Father and ask, “Lord, what do you say?”

    In the end, I want God’s kingdom over mine, and His will over my agenda. (Matthew 6)

    Thanks for this fresh insight. Your neighbor at Worth Beyond Rubies. Tweeted and pinned.

  • I loved this so much! So timely and what a great perspective! I especially loved your questions to ask yourself about what to get rid of, as well as the reminder that asking God is a journey and not a one-time thing! Thank you for this today!

  • Such good advice. There is no one step master list that fits all. It reminds me of another post I just read that says we are often trying to solve our problems by using someone else’s solutions. We can’t shorten the process or be told exactly what to keep and toss. But that is what I love about God. He gives us guidelines and then we have freedom. So none of our closets or hearts looks like everyone else’s. You provide great questions to ask ourselves.

  • This is definitely a new twist on decluttering! And one we need to keep in mind. It comes at a perfect time for me because I am needing to go through items at home to make space for my kids coming home this summer, and I never thought to ask, “Is this what God has for me right now?”