Beauty from the Ashes
I watched the Charlie Kirk Memorial with tears in my eyes. Before a word was spoken, before tributes were shared, hands were lifted high in praise. Worship filled the room. Gratitude rose like incense. It was a scene that echoed the promise of Scripture:
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).
Is this the great awakening we’ve prayed for? As Chris Tomlin led “How Great Is Our God,” I couldn’t help but think of how God redeems what the enemy meant for evil. Jesus’ death on the cross spoiled the enemy’s schemes. And though Charlie’s life was cut short, his death, too, has left a mark that no darkness can erase.
We will not see Charlie resurrected — he wouldn’t want that. His race was run with faith, conviction, and a relentless drive to point young people to Christ. What we are witnessing now is the fruit of that faith: beauty rising from sorrow, hope breaking through despair, and joy found in the God Charlie loved so deeply.
At the service, hundreds responded to an altar call, standing to profess Jesus as Lord. And then came perhaps the most powerful moment: Erika Kirk, with tears in her eyes, offered forgiveness to the man accused of taking her husband’s life. “The answer to hate is not hate,” she said. “The answer from the Gospel is love. Always love.”
Her words carried the weight of heaven. Forgiveness in the face of tragedy. Love in the shadow of loss. It was what Christ would do. It was what Charlie would do.
Now Erika steps into a new mission, leading Turning Point USA — the movement Charlie founded to revive the American family. She refuses to let his death breed bitterness. Instead, she has declared it the spark of revival.
And so, like seeds planted in sorrow, faith springs up again. Love over hate. Light over darkness. Revival over despair. Truly, God is bringing beauty from the ashes. May we live in that faith, that love!
Erika Kirk said, “The answer to hate is not hate. The answer is love. Always love.” May her courage remind us that forgiveness is where healing begins.
#ChooseLove #Forgiveness #BeautyFromTheAshes