It has been one week since Charlie Kirk, the conservative founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot at an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. I was shocked. My country was shocked, and I soon realized the entire world was shocked. Responses started pouring in immediately. I spent the next several days reading post after post and watching video after video. I had watched Charlie's ministry for several years. I knew he was popular, but I had no idea his influence reached around the world. My heart is still heavy. Charlie was a brilliant young man of 31 years with a beautiful, Godly wife and two very young children. His future was incredibly bright. Only God knows the impact Charlie would have had on the world if he had been allowed to live out his future. But that future won't happen for him now, not here on Earth. Charlie Kirk's life was ended by a coward who chose murder over dialogue. How should I respond to this senseless tragedy? Honestly, I have been at a loss for words. I've spent the week since Charlie's assassination grieving with people here locally and with others whose posts I've read and videos I've watched - sometimes with tears. As for my personal response, I've had no idea what to write. My heart is shattered, so responding Biblically to the assassination of Charlie Kirk has, for me, been more private than public. However, Charlie's boldness was inspiring, so I'm making my best effort to express my heart here on the blog about what happened and, if you are reading this, how we can move forward into the seasons ahead with the boldness that Charlie Kirk modeled for those of us who admired him.
Responding Biblically to the Assassination of Charlie Kirk
We can turn to Jesus.
I've seen a few people make negative remarks about pastors who didn't mention Charlie's assassination during church this past Sunday. While I'm glad our pastor appropriately mentioned this senseless tragedy, and I lean toward the idea that all pastors should have, it's not up to me to dictate what pastors preach. That's between them and God, as they trust the Holy Spirit to speak through them during their sermons.
I appreciated Brandon Lake's response when he spoke to his followers about the time he took to process what happened before he went public with it. Keep in mind that some of us take a little longer to process events to respond appropriately.
When something tragic happens, the first place we should turn to is not social media, YouTube, blogs, or other websites. We should turn to the very source of truth, knowledge, wisdom, and comfort - Jesus.
We can turn to Scripture.
If you've been a Christ-follower for a while, you've probably heard at least one person say that the Bible is God's love letter to us. God speaks to us through His Word. The Bible isn't just pages and ink. It's God's living and active voice.
For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)
Here are a few other Bible verses to comfort us during times of loss.
There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every matter under heaven - a time to give birth and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2)
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; the one who believes in Me will live, even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26)
And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away. (Revelation 21:4)
Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will also help you, I will also uphold you with My righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)
Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many rooms; if that were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will take you to Myself, so that where I am, there you also will be. And you know the way where I am going. (John 14:1-4)
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
The Lord is my shepherd,
I will not be in need.
He lets me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For the sake of His name.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
Certainly goodness and faithfulness will follow me all the days of my life,
And my dwelling will be in the house of the Lord forever. (Psalm 23)
We can turn down the noise.
After we have turned to Jesus and found comfort in
His Word, we might start reading what other people have to say about the tragedy that troubles us. We might watch a lot of videos. I certainly did after Charlie's death. However, let's not get caught up in theories, half-truths, or flat-out lies. Let's focus on what we know to be true. In this case, my heart aches for what we know to be true.
Charlie's life was taken much too soon. He was an intelligent young man with a bright future ahead. God's plan for Charlie was good, but Charlie was too much of a threat to the enemy, so the enemy quieted him by killing him, using a young man to do it.
We know Charlie's wife, Erika, and two young children grieve an unimaginable grief. A young wife has lost her young love. Two babies have lost their daddy. I can't even begin to imagine the pain this family is suffering.
Charlie's parents lost a beloved son. My husband and I have three grown children here on Earth and one in Heaven. No parent should ever have to bury a child, but Charlie's parents lost their son in such a public and tragic way. Who knows how many times they have relived the moment they realized their son was gone, and everything within them must have begged to have him back. I don't know much about Charlie's parents, but I'm praying for God, who created Charlie and blessed the Kirks with him almost 32 years ago, to hold them and comfort them like only He can.
The shooter's parents lost their son, too. I don't know anything about this family, but one thing I am certain of is that they will never be the same. Their son will either spend a lifetime in prison or face the death penalty.
We can turn to prayer.
We've turned to Jesus. We've turned to Scripture. We've filtered facts through all the noise. Now we know how to
pray. Or we still don't know how to pray because there is too much hurt, too much pain, and too much sorrow. It's all just too much, but again, we can turn to God and His Word for help with that as well. When we can't find the words, His Holy Spirit intercedes for us.
Now in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. (Romans 8:26-28)
We can turn to Healing.
Heartache will linger for a while, perhaps forever, but those closest to Charlie Kirk have made it more than clear that his ministry will continue. I knew he was popular, but I had no idea how far his reach was. Since Charlie Kirk's death, evil has been evident in those who celebrate such a horrific tragedy, but I'm choosing to focus on the revival I see happening all over the world. Millions of people in countries all over the globe are paying respects to Charlie and his family and also vowing to live boldly for Jesus as Charlie did. Yesterday, I read that Turning Point USA has received over 50,000 new applications for its chapters in high schools and colleges across the United States.
Our church was packed out this past Sunday. We had to bring out extra chairs until we almost ran out of them. A sister church in our area baptised 20 people - TWENTY PEOPLE on one Sunday!
Lives are changing. People are turning to Jesus. People are deciding to live more boldly for the cause of Christ, not just in the USA, but around the world.
The movement is just beginning.
The movement is just beginning, and I want to be part of it. I'm not sure what that looks like just yet. I'm a 55-year-old grandmother, but I do know this:
I'll resolve to be the wife to my husband, the kind of wife God created me to be, and the kind of wife my husband deserves.
I'll resolve to be the mother God created me to be, the kind of mother my children deserve.
I'll resolve to be the Nonnie God created me to be to my granddaughter and any grandchildren God gives me in the future. God has given me the blessing of influencing another generation, and I do not take that responsibility lightly. Every time my grandchildren look my way, I want them to see Jesus in me.
I'll resolve, like so many others over the past week, to live more boldly for Jesus no matter the cost. This is no time to shy away from hard topics. Years ago, I saw a meme that said something like, 'Let me live my life such that when my feet hit the floor in the morning, the devil cries, "Oh no! She's up!"'
That meme was meant to be funny, but it's true. That's the way I want to live, whether my life remains simple or becomes something else. I want my life to be a threat to the enemy. If I ever have to die for a cause, then let it be for the cause of Christ. I heard another phrase this week that resonated with me. I think whoever said it was referring to the evil celebrations over Charlie's assassination. I'll end this post with that statement because I can relate to it.
"I hope that I live the rest of my life in such a way that when I die, the demons rejoice over my death, too."
Go live your life abundantly in Jesus today,
Tina
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