I’ve been married for 26 years and we have three young daughters. Caitie's entire music catalog ministers to me and my family. Caitie has the gift of encouragement; Every song of hers lifts me up. She has an infectious and upbeat musical style, layering her strong and distinguished vocals over the top of one hooky melody after another.
Caitie has emerged as one of Christian music's top new female vocalists, not to mention she's a great role model for girls. She has delivered the ideal album to minister to anyone struggling with fear and self-doubt.
Every song showcases Caitie’s excellent singing voice. You can practically hear her smile as she delivers one infectious song after another. The layered and well-produced musical arrangements on At All Times perfectly accentuate Caitie's powerful and passionate songs. I had the chance to speak with Caitie about her worshipful song “Yours.”
Please tell me the personal story behind this song.
I’m excited about "Yours." I wrote the song after I had been on the road touring for more than a year. It wasn’t glamorous. We would pack up and drive overnight after each show. I had been discouraged about not having time to write songs and prayed about what to write. Then, the whole song's chorus came to me.
I wrote the song for anyone who's ever felt like they need to work their way up to earn God's love and approval. This song goes out to those who feel like they must follow rules and perform works to make them look Christian. It goes out to those who feel far away from God because of their lifestyle, beliefs, or past sins. Those who feel they're not wanted by the Lord. I've learned that these viewpoints are not how God wants us to see Him. All throughout the Bible it's the opposite.
The rich young ruler in Matthew 19:16-22 asks Jesus about how to get to heaven; He thinks it's about following rules. Jesus looked at him and loved him. When I read the story, it reminded me of how many times I’ve tried to check off boxes and do works to earn God’s love. We need to rest in the fact that we are His children.
Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?
Ephesians 3:17-19 (NIV): “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
Psalm 55:22(NIV): "Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken."
John 15:4-5(VOICE): "Abide in Me, and I will abide in you. A branch cannot bear fruit if it is disconnected from the vine, and neither will you if you are not connected to Me. I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you abide in Me and I in you, you will bear great fruit. Without Me, you will accomplish nothing."
Philippians 4:6-7(NIV): “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Romans 12:2(VOICE): "Do not allow this world to mold you in its own image. Instead, be transformed from the inside out by renewing your mind. As a result, you will be able to discern what God wills and whatever God finds good, pleasing, and complete."
1 John 4:18(NKJV): "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love."
What is the takeaway message?
God doesn't need our perfection or our spiritual resume. He just wants a relationship with us. He already loves us based on fact that He created us. We're His kids. We can’t earn His love. The Gospel is not a rulebook on what we can do to look or act more Christian to earn God’s approval.
I’ve found that sometimes striving for perfection gets in the way of freely receiving God’s grace. God’s been reminding me that it’s not about living to gain acceptance from others, but, instead, live from having already been accepted by God. Walking with God isn’t a burden or about rule-keeping. It’s by grace through faith that we are saved.
I pray when you listen to this song that you're reminded of God's loving, merciful, and gracious character. I pray when you listen to "Yours" that you're reminded that He wants you to walk with Him and receive the love and grace He offers you. Not because of what you've done or haven't done, but because He created you. He loves you just because that's who He is. I wanted this song to represent what God has been teaching me: to rest in God’s love.
Lyrics
What if I believed When You looked at me There was no judgement Wish I was convinced Your love is on a mission And I am the target
Can You reframe All the pictures Of the person that I thought I had to be You're not looking For a resume You're looking for a way To be with me
You don't need perfection You just want my heart The good and the bad You want every part I'm who I am because of who You are And I know I'm Yours, Yours, oh Yours, Yours
Tired of being jaded I wanna know what grace is And how to receive it Your love heals all my wounds Just being here with You Why would I leave it
You're erasing the idea Of the person that I thought I had to be And replacing it with truth And giving me new eyes to see And all I know is
You don't need perfection You just want my heart The good and the bad You want every part I'm who I am because of who You are And I know I'm Yours, Yours, oh Yours, Yours
There is no more Searching anymore I'm Yours In Your love I'm safe And I'm secure I'm Yours
What if I believed When You looked at me There was no judgement, oh
You don't need perfection
You just want my heart The good and the bad You want every part I'm who I am because of who You are And I know I'm Yours, Yours, oh Yours, Yours
Yours, Yours I know I'm Yours Yours, Yours Not anything less Or anything more I'm Yours
Closing Thoughts
"Yours" celebrates the freedom we're promised in God's Holy Word. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." Christians are new creations. God wants us to believe in the freedom that we have in the cross of Jesus. We're free from our fears, addictions, insecurities, and perfectionism. Jesus came to die for us so that we can truly live in Him.
This song is about trusting in God and confessing to Him and others when you fail or have struggles. Lay your burdens at the feet of Jesus. He'll take them from you and release you from them. God wants to hear from you. What I love about this song is that it includes a testimony of submission to the Lord that we can all pray about our personal struggles. Our weaknesses are nothing to hide.
In fact, because of our weaknesses, God's grace and strength are perfectly revealed. I'm completely convicted by the strong lyrics and find immense comfort in this song. We can't know everything, and we are not in control, but trusting God gives us an assurance that we don't have to be afraid.
God will be there to pick us up when we fall. The challenge for me when I listen to this song is to pick an area of my life that I've been trying to control and instead step out and put all of my hope and trust in God.
Jesus is the answer to all that we want and need. We're all in need of God to fix our beautiful messes in some way. The beauty of grace is that it's freely given, not something we deserve or earn. The Holy Spirit gives us a new life. We don't have to live anymore with guilt, fears, or worries. We're born again. Our old life is dead.
Believing the words of this song is a great way to work on the disciplines of self-examination and prayer. Faith is when we are empty of ourselves and filled with Him and His Holy Spirit. I can’t get enough of the worshipful chorus, “You don't need perfection/You just want my heart/The good and the bad/You want every part/I'm who I am because of who You are/And I know I'm Yours.” Amen to that.
NRT lead contributor Kevin Davis is a longtime fan of Christian music, an avid music collector, and credits the message of Christian music for leading him to Christ. He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and three daughters.
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