Give My Life and Let It Be
“Take My Life and Let It Be” by Frances Ridley Havergal is a beautiful hymn that describes how we long to live as Christians. Yet so often, we sing it while not living up to its words. This made me wonder what a poem would sound like if it were the exact opposite of “Take My Life and Let It Be,” so I set out to write it. It was rather jarring to write, but my prayer is that it might open our eyes to ways in which we living out of selfishness rather than love, and that it would lead us to the Savior who is able to transform us from utterly selfish people into selflessly loving people. You can find it here in the left column, with Havergal’s hymn in the right.
Give my life and let it be
allocated all to me.
Give my moments and my days;
all to spend in my own ways,
all to spend in my own ways.
Give my hands and let them move
at the impulse of my mood.
Give my feet and let them be
swift and clandestine for me,
swift and clandestine for me.
Give my voice and let me fling
hateful words despite their sting.
Give my lips and let them be
filled with enmity towards thee
filled with enmity towards thee.
Give my silver and my gold;
ev’ry mite would I withhold.
Give my intellect to use
all my power as I shall choose,
all my power as I shall choose.
Give my will and make it mine;
it shall not with thee align.
Give my heart; it is my own.
it shall be my royal throne,
it shall be my royal throne.
Give me lust and ever pour
at my feet its vile store.
Give my self, and I will be
ever, only, all for me,
ever, only, all for me.
Take my life and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to thee.
Take my moments and my days;
let them flow in endless praise,
let them flow in endless praise.
Take my hands and let them move
at the impulse of thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
swift and beautiful for thee,
swift and beautiful for thee.
Take my voice and let me sing
always, only, for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
filled with messages from thee,
filled with messages from thee.
Take my silver and my gold;
not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
every power as thou shalt choose,
every power as thou shalt choose.
Take my will and make it thine;
it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart it is thine own;
it shall be thy royal throne,
it shall be thy royal throne.
Take my love; my Lord, I pour
at thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be
ever, only, all for thee,
ever, only, all for thee.
Image by Timon Studler