It was a very cold night on Friday, Nov. 1, 2019 when I gathered with a group of my closest friends at “The Amp,” an outdoor concert area in Jackson, Tenn. to hear Jordy Searcy play live for a Union University homecoming event.
When we heard Searcy was a contestant on the seventh season of the American hit television show “The Voice” in 2014, my friends and I knew we had to go. We all arrived bundled up, sitting on blankets on the slowly withering grass.
I had never heard of Searcy, but when he started singing, I was immediately in love with his sound. I leaned over to my roommates, Aleah Petty, a junior ministry and missions major, and Caroline Dunbar, a sophomore nursing major, both of whom where bundled up in their hats, gloves, jackets and blankets, with the utmost enthusiasm and asked if they knew him. All we knew about him was what we had been told through the advertisement of the event.
We sat and continued to listen with the heat from the hot chocolate transferring through our gloves onto our hands. Outside, eight feet tall heaters that towered over the crowd were placed, in hopes to keep everyone warm.
I love love. It sounds redundant, but it’s true. I really do LOVE love. I think love is something we all should have the beautiful chance to experience. The love between two people is one of the most powerful forces. Two is better than one. We are called to be in community. I have always said that I don’t want a financially prosperous house because then that means the family is going to be farther apart.
When Searcy sang “RICH,” I wanted to be best friends. Searcy got it. He understood what is important in relationship. In “RICH,” Searcy encompasses the importance of how you spend your time rather than how much money you spend. The song starts off upbeat. He sings about how if he was a millionaire questioning if it will make him and his significant other happy in the long run. If they had a bunch of spare rooms, would they sleep so close? If they never worried about money, would they grow in conversation while the sun rises? He goes on to sing about how he may not be a millionaire but instead, time is money and if time is money, then the couple will be rich.
“Time and love are a package deal,” these are the lyrics Searcy sings with such passion. Money is something that does not cause two people to fall in love. People will fall in love with money, but that’s a relationship that does not ever last long. I have 24 hours, just like you. Let’s treasure our time, like Searcy does.
One day I hope I’m RICH.
Graphic by Maggie Exum
