Opinion : Jesus defeated death so you can live

There are so many reasons that Charlie Kirk will always be head and shoulders above the calculations of my own goodness. As I heard of the shooting and ultimate death of Kirk on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, it was a moment where I had a less-than-Charlie-Kirk-like reaction. I was angry. I was livid. I was heartbroken over a man I didn't even know personally. 

I had spent hours watching him. I was always amazed at the kindness he showed to college kids who were sometimes insulting, gross and downright nasty to him. He'd often ignore the disgusting antics with a grin, as if it never happened and then go right to whatever the topic of discussion was. 

Now, today, when I heard that he had been shot, my first thought was of him on election night. The man had been crisscrossing the country talking to college "kids" for months. He'd hoped to move the needle just a little bit. As he watched the election results come in last year, his first reaction wasn't fist-pumping bellowing, "YES! WE DID IT!" He put his head down at the desk and wept. 

Now, I'd never seen any man do that over an election, cry over losing, yes, I've seen that, but crying over a win? What is going on?  He was thankful and appreciative that the election had come out the way it did. He quietly got up and left the desk to join the party. No patting himself on the back, just humble acceptance. 

I had all kinds of not-so-nice thoughts today. None of them were on that WWJD spectrum, nope, there were more of the "an eye for an eye" thinking. As the last thought cleared the gate, my next thought was, "If Charlie recovers, the first thing he'll say is, 'Forgive them.'" There are times I can't stand people like that. 

The media, in all their pure evil, before Charlie had even been settled at the hospital, were quick to label Kirk as "divisive and controversial."

"Forgive them."  

Charlie Kirk was a man who could quote the Bible, the Bill of Rights, the Constitution, American history, world history, basically, anything you could throw at him, he had an educated answer for. He read books that I'd never heard of, quoted authors I'd heard of but didn't care to know about, the guy was a walking encyclopedia of knowledge or a walking Google. Kids often mocked him, implying that THEY were somehow smarter because THEY were in college and he had dropped out.

He never argued with the college students on the topic. He'd just debate them about their ideas. It was a continuous battle of each side declaring, "check" only to have another question come up. In my book, he'd debate them all under the table to the cheers of thousands in the crowd.

The softness in this man (Mike Rowe's podcast came on and addressed this very thought while I was typing this) was evident in a couple of incidents that I can remember. One example was of a girl from a broken home, torn between the politics of the parents. Another was a father and son who stood before him with the same issue. Charlie instructed both kids to honor their parents. He also had some words of wisdom. He advised them to base their beliefs on the Bible. To the father, he shared wisdom beyond his years, asking the father to consider the perspectives and life experiences of his son. For a guy who, according to the media, was a troublemaker...

Unfortunately, because he tried to reason with kids aka legal adults, half the country found him frustrating. There is no one else like him that could sit on college campuses and have a conversation with the depth that he did. Thousands gathered to see him and listen to him talk.

Just talk, mind you. 

In the warped mind of a deranged lunatic, the only way to shut him up was with a bullet, and sadly the far left is cheering. 

It reminded me of when soon-to-be President Trump was shot. For some reason, that was okay. After all, the claims are that he is Hitler-esque, so therefore, what's a little murder? Many who disagree with his politics and policies have been living with that idea for nearly a decade. It's dangerous. Keep in mind, it's not Charlie's rhetoric feeding this.

When we have that thought process going on, bullets fly. Feed the insanity, and you get more insanity. In two years, we've lost two men in political assassinations, the other also just a firefighter sitting in the crowd. 

Charlie Kirk was a man of debate. Bring your thoughts to the table and let's toss them around. America has lost that ability. A verse in the Bible says, "Iron sharpens iron," meaning it's good to talk to people, you learn things that you didn't know. That's what Charlie did. 

At the age of 18 the man created Turning Point USA specifically for kids like him. There are now thousands of groups across the country. When something like this happens, and you kill the leader, more like him will spring up. You made him a martyr, and for that, and only for what you meant to be evil, God will make good. 

In one of Charlie's last posts, just four days ago, he said, "Jesus defeated death so you can live," meaning if you follow Christ, death is nothing to worry about, you'll live again. A bit prophetic of him to say. 

So anyway, my thoughts and prayers go out for his dear wife and two beautiful little children, who now will never get to see him get excited to see them again, who will never feel his hug or have him walk them down the aisle. I hope they can grow up to forgive.