A Challenge to Stand

Watching Charlie Kirk's Memorial service kindled something inside me. As my husband and I watched from home, my heart stirred with a hope for America I haven't felt in years; I felt a clear challenge to stand. I have walked with Jesus all my days; I follow Christ—it’s the reason I live and love—yet after watching, I felt deeply convicted and challenged.

Freedom to Speak?

My husband and I have always worked in the arts and entertainment. It's no secret that the industry has a more liberal mindset. Most of the people we have worked alongside over the years differ in politics and views on God. There are a few who align with our values and beliefs, and yet this is exactly where we feel God has had us over the years.

We are conservative, politically speaking. We vote Republican, considering they value some of the issues closest to our hearts. Which are the sanctity of life; we oppose abortion. We believe God created male and female distinctly and intentionally. There are those who have redefined marriage and it is perfectly legal in our country. We believe marriage as the Bible defines should be between a man and a women per God's perfect design. These are some of the most volatile issues that divide people. 

We know and love many people who are gay, transgender, have had and advocate for abortion. We feel God has called us to love them and show them dignity and we have. However, we don't believe it's God's best for them.

I do know they aren't likely to feel convicted of something "society" deems perfectly lawful if they haven't surrendered their lives to Christ.

Do I feel free to speak? No. I know many would brand my viewpoint as hateful and bigoted. Charlie was murdered because he spoke the truth openly, clearly, and with love. My liberal-minded co-workers, family, and friends wouldn’t kill me. But, too many people now cling to a dangerous misbelief: if someone disagrees with you, they must hate you.

Differing Perspectives

My husband first started showing me Charlie Kirk's videos. I watched in astonishment as he gave the microphone to people who had an opposing view. Then calmly debated never devaluing someone for their beliefs. I tend to be a people pleaser, I'm an Enneagram 9, the peacemaker though if I operate in fear and people pleasing I become more of a peace keeper. Charlie's direct conversations made me both uncomfortable and wishing I had the courage to have conversations with people like this. Rather than avoid it at all costs, it was a challenge to stand. Like Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, and JFK Charlie believed in our country, that ideas can be challenged and talking about them is important. This makes people uncomfortable which is why all of these men were murdered by cowards who hate freedom.

Sin is crouching at your door

It's up to you whether you believe sin affects your life, also how you want to define sin. Sin separates us from God, and Satan wants us to look for purpose and identity in everything else except Christ.

We are by no means a healthy society, with an ever-increasing rate of suicide, depression, and anxiety. I believe God designed our bodies and brains, and the things He has laid out in scripture are for our good and health.

I have and always will use the Bible as my guide, as Charlie did too. The Bible is the Word of God, breathed by the Holy Spirit and recorded by human hands. Meant to help guide and remind us of God's great love for us, Jesus, His Son, crucified and rising again, so our sin no longer separates us from Him.

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30

What I know to be true is that sin is always crouching at our door, beckoning us to justify it. "Just do you", "Do what makes you feel good", "Follow your heart". Satan wants us to be separated from God. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, He walks with us, forgives us and helps us to grow in the areas of Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness and Self Control when we apply His wisdom and Word to our lives. We experience this rest for our souls, no matter how tumultuous the world around us gets or how uncertain our lives seem.

I'm sharing this as an act of love on my part. I would love for you to know and experience God's love just like I have.

Ford Theatre, where Lincoln was shot by a coward who disagreed with him

The Hardest Thing to Forgive

Erika Kirk spoke at her husband's service; it was incredibly powerful. Especially since she forgave the young man who shot and killed her husband. This challenged me.

12 years ago, my Dad was hit and nearly killed by a drunk driver. (You can learn about and watch a video showing his recovery HERE. ) God told me at the hospital I had to be ok if the driver wasn't sorry. I couldn't believe it. How could someone not be sorry for something so horrible?

I attended Women of Faith with my Mom and Sisters shortly after; it was just what we needed after all we had walked through. Matthew West performed at the end and sang his song called "Forgiveness". It started with a video of a mom whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver. It showed how she walked up gave him a hug and forgave him. I stood there in shock. God was calling me to forgive this man. I sobbed through it, in anger and disbelief. Over and over I told God I wasn't strong enough. Matthew's next song was "Strong Enough". God showed me He heard me and beckoned me to something that was incredibly counter-cultural, that would lead me to peace.

It wasn't instant, but with God eventually I was able to forgive. This freed me from bitterness and hate, allowing me to fully thank God for the gift of keeping my Dad here on earth for a bit longer. When we finally faced him at the first court date his family, hurled insults at us. It was awful. What God told me at the hospital was true, he wasn't sorry. When he came back for the arraignment, we would get the opportunity to say anything, and he would have to listen. We wanted to play the video I made about my Dad's journey of recovery, and my brother would read him a statement of our offer of forgiveness as a family along with this scripture:

“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭30:19‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

We never got this opportunity; he was a no-show and to this day has never been held accountable. Despite the difficulty of dealing with his not being brought to justice, the choice for us to forgive was for our good and healing.

Let's normalize forgiveness

Erika Kirk's statement of forgiveness is nothing short of evidence God's Word is true. Nobody in our society would have batted an eye if she hurled insults his way, nor if my family and I held a grudge against the drunk driver. Her admission of forgiveness reminded me of my own journey with forgiveness and shed light on some people I needed to forgive. I'm grateful for her obedience and know it is spurring on a movement of forgiveness in this nation that we desperately need.

Politics and Religion Taboo Topics

In the past, I've avoided political conversations. I deemed that I didn't want to fight about politics because I'd rather stand for Jesus than a political idea. The memorial challenged me on this thinking. Our freedom in this country as a Constitutional Republic is so incredibly rare and precious. I'm a descendant of Charles Pinckney(pictured above), a signer and contributor of the Constitution, a Founding Father of our Country, a strong opposer of slavery; and I stand in gratitude of all he sacrificed to establish laws that still protect our freedoms today.

I do believe we can agree to disagree and have healthy conversations and dialogue. Charlie modeled this so well. I know there are people on both sides of the aisle who desire this and are willing, but I know there are those who don't. Our freedom of speech in this country should be able to be exercised without fear of retribution. I do think that while there are many polarizing topics, most of us can agree on this:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Declaration of Independence

Memorial-Revival-Freedom

After Charlie was murdered, I posted a simple "Well done, good and faithful servant" post with his picture on IG stories. I had a message from someone saying he was a bigot, a misogynist and a racist. Of course, I couldn't disagree more. I know there is a group of people feeling this way, I don't know how much they even know about him or how much they are willing to find out. That being said Charlie died being willing to let people share their opinions and have conversation.

My husband posted a quote from one of Michael Murray 's devotional books "Nobody Left Out" Waves of grace.

God wants us to care about the issues going on in the world. But if we allow these things to capture the top spot in our hearts, we lose compassion for people. We begin to see those we disagree with as enemies to defeat instead of people to love.

It was met with negativity from some, which only shows how badly we need to not see people as enemies. I believe Charlie did this well despite the pushback we have seen from some.

Our pastor mentioned the similarities of Charlie and John the Baptist. John was beheaded for telling the King not to take his brother's wife, (read the story here). This made his brother's wife mad, and so she asked for his head on a platter. She wanted to live in sin without accountability. Charlie challenged some ideas that our society has accepted as lawful and ok. Like John the Baptist, his goal was to honor God, speak truth, encourage conversation, and let the Holy Spirit do His work.

My Resolve

Before I watched the memorial, I didn't realize how much I had given up on America. I think when your heart breaks for your country and it's people, sometimes it's easier to ignore it and live your life, only addressing what's in front of you. But the truth is I have many nieces, nephews and god kids growing up in this country and I care what happens here. I was so convicted that I had all but stopped praying for our elected officials. Those who spoke at Charlie's funeral gave me a hope for this country I haven't felt since we united after 9/11.

I'm aware this will not resonate with everyone. That's ok. I have no plans to jump into a career in politics, but I'm tired of feeling like I'm not free to speak.

Ultimately, true friends aren't what make up most of our lists on social media. That's ok too. Jesus talked to and interacted with lots of people but had his close 12 and even closer 3 friends.

Jesus made people mad because He spoke truth, but He also healed and showed love to thousands and His ministry continues through today in the billions since He walked this earth. My desire is to live radically, showing forgiveness where it isn't deserved, loving people who are different then me even if they don't show me the same courtesy. I want to speak the truth in love and pray more often for those who are bravely running our country and standing for truth and justice.

I'm so grateful for the freedom to worship and talk about God here in my beautiful country! I don't want to lose that right, so I plan to do what I can to keep it. God placed me in this nation, here and now, for such a time as this, and I want to be obedient to Him.

Thank you to Turning Point USA for your dedication in equipping the youth of America to think for themselves in a time where everything is countering the very notion! And for standing for marriage and family! Equipping people for God centered marriage is the calling my husband and I have!