“You Are My Grace” Song Story (“The Barn” Album)

Blog by Kristen Hicks

I am completely convinced there are people who are meant to come into our lives only for a season. Then there are those that are meant to be forever friends. Those are the friends to truly call family. They are the people that see you—the good, the bad, the ugly— they’ve been there for the past and present and for whatever reason they are still sticking around for the future. They are the ones, I’m certain, the Lord has given His eyes to see beyond who we are at the moment into who we are going to be. They love you where you are, but they also love you and believe in you enough to know that you are made for more. So they are the encouragers, the truth-speakers, the gentle reminders that the Lord is doing a work and it is a process.

Kayla is one of those friends for me. I’ve been calling her my “unicorn” friend lately…well, this week at least. As I have been reflecting on this song story and our friendship, I have realized that having a friend like her is rare, colorful and beautiful. And I am thankful for her. She and I go way back to our volleyball days in high school. We stayed friends, throughout the years even if months or a year went by without talking, still, when we got together we would just pick up where we left off. Finally one day, we both realized we needed each other. So our hang out times became a weekly thing and something that we still do every week. They have affectionately been named by Matt and known to many as KKDay! 🙂

Before Matt and Kayla got married, they started this pursuit of wanting to grow closer to the Lord as they grew closer to each other. Which is what led them to read the book “Love Does” by Bob Goff. (Highly recommend it.) One weekend they went camping (or rather “glamping”) and they were sitting together watching the sunset, reading the book. They finished the book and Matt then chose to get down on one knee and propose.

Later, Kayla and I were hanging out, getting food and she was just talking, in a way that she often does :-), about how thankful she was for Matt and how blessed she felt by the Lord by him regardless of any choices she had made in the past. All of a sudden it flew out of my mouth, “He’s your grace.” We both stopped and thought about that statement. It was insanely profound and we both were in awe of how true that statement was in relation to getting married. For her right then. And then one day for me. For us, like a lot of people, marriage is one of those things that truly is a gift from the Lord. The thing that makes it even sweeter is when the person you are marrying is better than you could have ever imagined— better than you felt you deserved.

I knew after that day I wanted to write a song for them and call it, “You Are My Grace.” I knew I wanted it to have the phrase “love does” in it and I knew that I wanted it to be from Kayla’s perspective—using words from conversations that she and I had had.

When I began the writing process, I remember thinking, this isn’t coming out like I had in my head. I had thought it would be slower. Something that I would sing as Kayla walked down the aisle or something. But it wasn’t quite right for that. One day, she and I went to lunch and she started to tell me about how they didn’t have a first dance song. The funny thing is I had already started writing the first verse and pre-chorus and I had thought to myself, “this sounds more like a first dance song.”

Verse 1

Take my hand, pull me close to you

As we step into eternity

Cause the reality

Is this moment right here

Is better than we could have ever dreamed

Pre-Chorus 1

And you spin me around and around

Unraveling all of my fears

And I am letting go of everything behind me

Cause that look in your eyes is real clear

So I told her at that moment that I was working on a song for them that might work as a first dance song. I had the chorus recorded on my phone. We went to her car and I let her hear it.

Chorus

If this is what Love does

Then, Baby, I’m holding on tight because

There is a goodness you can taste

So here’s my heart,

Cause Baby, you are my grace.

I told her that I would finish it and then about a month before the wedding we would get together and I would sing it for them. I told her that if they hated it they were not going to hurt my feelings. I would rather, them be honest and tell me the truth than for me to play a song at their wedding that they hated.

The night I went to their house, sat down on their couch. Right before I played it, I remember Matt telling me “Don’t go by my reaction.” So I did what I always do, I closed my eyes only opening them to make sure I had the right lyrics and sang them the song. When I finished and looked up at them, they were both sitting close and crying with each other. It was such a beautiful sweet, moment that I will forever cherish with them.

That moment carried over into their wedding day when I sang it over them as they shared their first dance as a married couple. Kayla and I even locked eyes and one point and we both almost lost it, going a little pitchy on a note. (Bad idea, guys.) Then you have Matt telling Kayla “Well, don’t look at her.” It was a priceless moment. A super sweet gift from, Abba. To be able to sing His heart to them, over them and into them. Because that’s what His grace does. It moves you into His LOVE.

Verse 2

There’s a sweetness in the process

When we see how far we’ve come from

And at last, we become one

By the power of God’s great love

Pre-Chorus 2

And so you pull me closer still

And I fill my heart come undone

And then for only my ears to hear

You speak out the words of our song.

Bridge

Face to Face and hand in hand

Oh, let it be known that this is His plan

I’ll shout it from the rooftop, sing for all to hear

That it’s only by His grace that we get to stand here.

That we are standing right here

Can you see it?

Can you feel it?