Bitterly Beautiful: RIP Charlie Kirk

Like many of you, my heart has been so heavy over the assassination of Charlie Kirk. My spirit feels uneasy. I don’t look at the world the same anymore; the atmosphere has shifted, and I know I’m not the only one feeling this way. Over the past week, I have spoken to countless family members and friends and have shared this grief with one another. It's a heavy moment in history and so I want to say something simple and true: I love you. Jesus loves you.

I don’t have the answers for how to change a country or fix everything that’s broken. But I do believe change begins inside our own homes, within our four walls. It starts with us waking up each morning determined to be the light for our spouses, our children, and the people closest to us. Let our homes be places of peaceful rest, of love, and of intentional grace. If you are a mother, pay attention to your children. Know what they are watching and listening to. Spend time with them and share the gospel with them. Help them get to know Jesus and a God who loves them more than anything in this world.

If you love Jesus, don’t be afraid to talk about your faith. Yes, people will mock you. They have mocked me for years. That’s okay. My ego doesn’t care if someone makes fun of my love for Christ or misunderstands my testimony. You don’t know what I’ve walked through or what Christ has done inside me, and that’s precisely why I share how wonderful HE is. He changed me from the inside out. Without Him I would be completely wretched. I don’t talk about Him for likes or shares; I speak because there might be one person, just one, who needs encouragement, who needs to know the power and love of Christ.

If you already share your faith openly, please keep doing that. Others need your courage. I need your courage. Be the light. Be kind. Be real. Don’t let pride or ego make your choices for you. Yes, you will lose followers, it happens to me weekly, and yes, you may lose friends or family who disagree with your faith. That hurts. It stings to lose people you’ve shared meals with and genuinely loved. But when everyone else walks away, guess who remains? God. That might be all you’re left with, and that is enough. Do it anyway. Hold fast to who you are in Him.

Don’t just believe in truth, walk in truth. Don’t just talk about your faith, live it. Let every decision, every small moment, be guided by what you say you believe. Right now, we need that reminder. I need it. I’m preaching to myself more than anyone else. Our decisions based on our faith might not be popular to some, do it anyway. Be courageous! Be willing to lose it all to do what's right and live out the Bible!

These past days my heart has been grieving. A lot has happened over months and years, but the assassination of a human being who is a husband, a father, a son, a friend, has pushed me to a new place of longing for truth, goodness, and God. I will not trade my need for Jesus for this world. Give me Jesus.

Love you all. Rest in peace, Charlie Kirk, a life that touched a nation with your heart for Christ and has made even more of a ripple in your death. This isn’t about politics; it’s about our hearts. The bible says that hearts will grow cold in the last days and sadly, I'm seeing that. A line has been drawn in the sand and we must choose what is right and we must choose Jesus!

Take care of you,

Cryssie