Take Time by Jordy Christo
Each paragraph below will explain how God pulled the pieces of the song “Take Time” together from a year’s worth of promptings. I was aware of them, but not sure why I had sensed God in any particular moment of time.
The inspiration for this song came one morning as I was seeking God’s direction for the day through prayer. I sensed a familiar prompting from Him directing me to let someone (anyone) know that I love them. The nudge from the Holy Spirit was unmistakable and I knew God was up to something.
After I finished my prayer time, I picked up my guitar and the Holy Spirit met me with the beginning of the song “Take Time”. It took about an hour for the basics of the instrumental verses and chorus to be in place.
Song lyrics: “Let someone know you love them today”
A couple of months prior to writing the song, I was fishing with two friends on a dock near Mote Marine Laboratories, in Sarasota, Florida. There was a brief whirlwind of God’s Holy Spirit that engulfed me as I looked at Lisa from a distance. She has standing with her chin up, back straight and head held high. The immediate message received from the Lord was; “Confident and proud.” I tucked the prompting of the Spirit in my pocket- wondering what that was about. As I was writing the song, the image of her fishing that day suddenly flashed into my mind out of nowhere. Immediately I thought of her children and how proud of them she must be. I then thought of my own children and how proud of them I am.
Song Lyrics: “Let someone know you’re so proud of them today”
One day prior to writing the song, I had been talking to a good friend of mine who had gone to Kentucky to be with his family. He is ninety years old. For several months he had been struggling with relentless health issues. Through the years of getting to know Bob, I have seen great strength in his character. As I spoke with him on the phone, he confided in me and explained how physically weak he felt. He told me that he was trying so hard to hide it from his wife and children. Something happened in that moment inside me as an overwhelming presence of God flowed through me. I said; “I can understand what you must be feeling right now. You’ve always been the strength in your family for your children, grandchildren and Ruth (his wife).” I felt overwhelming compassion from the Holy Spirit flowing out of me as the words were spoken. Within seconds of saying it with exhilarated passion, I was silently praying for God to strengthen him. As I was writing the song, I re-lived that moment in time when I was fervently praying that God would strengthen him.
Song Lyrics: “Be strength for the weak today” and “Be hope for the hopeless today”
Close to a year before the song was written, I was meeting with a repeat customer about remodeling a kitchen in a home that she had just inherited. She began to tell me the story of how it was her brother’s house and of how he had battled with a horrible addiction to alcohol for many years. She explained how her love for him as a sister compelled her to do everything in her power to help him get well. Sadly, he died from an alcohol-related accident in his home. After she told me all the details, she said; “Jordy, there’s a phrase that I am living my life by since my brother’s death. It’s: “ Make Life Matter.” When she said it, I felt the phrase stick to me like glue. It was a God moment that I reflected on many times during the next year-not really ever making a solid connection with why God nudged me when she said it. As I was writing the song, I was suddenly visually taken back to that moment in time when we were standing in her front yard and she said; “Make life matter.”
Song Lyrics: “Make life matter today”
After the entire song was recorded, and I was listening to the bridge of the song; “Take time, take time, take time”, I had a moment when God was showing me that we have to fight for time. I thought about how so many unproductive things are contending for our time. We must vehemently take a hold of time and use it to tell someone that they are loved. We must vehemently take time and tell our friends and family how proud of them we are. We MUST take time to BE strength for the weak and HOPE for the hopeless. We MUST take time to be all that God desires us to be… a “light in the world”, “salt in the earth” and “a city on a hill”. Matthew 5:13,14
