Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika, was left to pick up the pieces following his assassination.
Erika Kirk left millions of Americans stunned with her first decision.
And Erika Kirk made this bold move that caught everyone off guard.
As West Wing Daily reports:
Political anger and hatred have been extremely high for quite a while now, and it has gotten even more heated in the wake of the awful murder of Charlie Kirk during one of his speaking stops.
His widow, Erika, was certainly angry in the wake of her husband’s young life being cut short, and many people surely expected her to take out that anger during her speech at his memorial.
But Erika is an extremely devout Christian, and she knew that revenge was the opposite of a Christian virtue, which is why she decided to do the one thing that would surprise everyone.
The speeches at Charlie Kirk’s memorial were a mix, with some speakers delivering the Gospel message, and others promising revenge against the left.
No one knew which direction Erika would go – but she made a clear choice when she got up on stage and forgave her husband’s killer.
She even refused to condemn him to the death penalty, likely in the hopes that he would repent and turn towards Christ.
According to Fox News, “Erika Kirk, the widow of slain Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, remembered her husband’s legacy at a memorial for him Sunday — and revealed her thoughts about his alleged assassin.”
Here is what she said: “Our Savior said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they not know what they do.’ That young man … I forgive him. I forgive him because it was what Christ did, and it’s what Charlie would do.”
Reading the text of the speech does not even do it justice, as it has to be watched to feel the full effect of her words.
Even after everything he did to her, Erika Kirk still loves the man who killed her husband – not in the sense of an emotion, but in the sense of willing the good for him and hoping he turns to Christ.
The article continues, “She began her speech by quoting one of Charlie Kirk’s favorite Bible verses, Isaiah 6:8: ‘Here I am, Lord. Send me,’ and recalled a time that Charlie Kirk repeated it at the end of a conference.”
“Erika Kirk added that she sensed ‘great mercy from God’ in her husband’s death when she viewed his body and saw a faint smile.”
In forgiving her killer, Erika Kirk not only channeled the spirit of Christ himself, but also of the early Christians who willingly and peacefully accepted martyrdom on behalf of the truth.
She made it clear that the response to this horrific act cannot be hatred or violence but must be love and truth.
Her husband’s memorial featured prominent speakers of both Catholic and Protestant faiths. Those differences still matter, quite a bit, and will have to be sorted out.
But for this night, Christians of all different stripes came together not only to denounce violence and murder, but to defeat it with love, truth, and Jesus Christ.
