The Hymn She Paid For in Gold

In February 1874, Frances Ridley Havergal penned the words to Take My Life and Let It Be after a night so full of joy she couldn't sleep. But the real story begins after the ink dried.

Havergal took her own lyrics seriously. When she reached the line "take my silver and my gold, not a mite would I withhold," she opened her jewelry case and sent nearly every piece to the Church Missionary Society — gold rings, brooches, a treasured pendant, all packed into a parcel. She later wrote to a friend, "I never packed a box with such pleasure."

And she kept going. Take my voice — she devoted her celebrated singing entirely to sacred music. Take my intellect — she poured her education into Bible teaching and ministry. Take my will — she restructured her daily life around serving others.

Most of us sing hymns on Sunday morning and forget them by lunch. Havergal sang hers and then lived every line, at real personal cost. She did not compose a poem about consecration. She wrote a prayer of surrender and then answered it herself.

Paul urged believers to "offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God" (Romans 12:1). Havergal understood that true sacrifice is not one dramatic moment but a daily, joyful releasing of everything we call our own. This Sunday, when we sing of giving our lives to the Almighty, the question is simple: could we mean every word?