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"Right Next To Me" by Kate Stanford: There's Always Room at the Table


Is there really room at the table for you? 

Picture a room full of people angling for a seat, thinking their may not be enough. That’s the opening scene of “Right Next To Me”, a song by Kate Stanford. She sings “I remember I was walking // To a room where I was fighting // For a seat, it was such a feat.” She wrote this song after going through a period of real exclusion, feeling the sting of being overlooked by people who should have made room for her. 

Kate Stanford - Right Next To MeAs you listen to the song, you realize that she doesn’t stay bitter. “I don’t blame you for the way you looked past me unnecessarily,” Kate sings, and then she names the truth underneath the whole struggle: “Oh there’s no scarcity // We’re all a part of his story.” Competition would only makes sense when we think His love will run out. The good news is that it doesn’t. 

Paul writes to the Roman church, a group split by ethnic and religious division. His words cut straight to this: “Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God” (Romans 15:7). Christ doesn’t wait for anyone to earn a seat. He opens the table and pulls up a chair. 

Where has someone made you feel like you were fighting for scraps of acceptance? Who in your life is still standing outside a table that you could open up? You don’t have to wait until you agree on everything before you can welcome someone in. Set the extra plate. Send the text. Show up with open hands, the way the song’s bridge describes: “I’ll be waiting there with open hands.” 

As you listen to this song, think about who needs to hear today that “We’re all a part of his story”. How can you lift someone else up today? How can you help others hear Him calling: “There’s a seat right next to me.”

(Related scripture: Romans 15:7; Luke 14:23; Psalm 23:5)

Background:

I wrote “Right Next To Me” as an anthem of belonging after experiencing exclusion in my life. No mater our differences, there is a seat at God’s table for everyone, and there is seat right next to me.

Release date: August 21, 2026

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