Charlie Kirk and Iryna Zarutska

There have been several horrible, tragic events recently, and I feel like I have to talk about them. First is the killing of Charlie Kirk yesterday. For some reason, his killing really shook me. It's left me feeling so incredibly upset and unsettled. I think that part of it is that he was just a guy sitting at a table and having debate. I know that there are many who couldn't stand him and felt like he peddled hate, and I'll address that later, but regardless of what you thought about his views or methods, he wasn't a violent criminal or terrorist. He was an outspoken individual who invited debate and discussion and exercised one of our greatest rights as Americans, Freedom of Speech, and for that, someone decided that they could take the role of God and remove his unalienable, God-given right of life. It's sickening and disheartening. How can someone think it's ok to just savagely take another’s life? I don't understand it, and yes, that same sentiment applies to every senseless death that takes place in our world, in our nation, from school children who are trying to learn and play to a young Ukrainian woman who was trying to get home after work, to individuals who are murdered in prejudice and hate by ignorant citizens or those who are sworn to protect them and keep the peace, to men, women and children caught in the middle of centuries old wars, to thousands of unborn human children. I do not understand, cannot comprehend the mindset that justifies the taking of human life. It is dark and depraved and psychotic and evil. We are supposed to be able to disagree. We are supposed to be able to have debate and discussion, logical and rational or otherwise. We are a diverse group of humans and we don't all agree, and while we can try to convince others of our viewpoints, disagreement is to be expected. It is not, however, grounds for murder. 

I don't care how much you dislike someone or disagree with them. You have no right to take their life. If you think you do, or if you think anyone has the right to take the life of another because they don't like their ideology or rhetoric, you need to take a good hard look at yourself, because there's something very wrong. 

The second reason that I think this hit me so hard is because he had two young children, a one year old little boy and a three year old little girl. These poor children were just dealt a nightmare. I have seen people dismiss this because of his views, but I couldn't imagine looking his children in the eye and telling them that their daddy is never coming home again, never going to hug them and hold them again, never going to tuck them in again at night, that they will have years of sorrow and pain and it's all more than deserved and earned. I would hope that those I see posting things like this aren't truly that calloused and cold, and again, if you are, you need to take a good hard look at yourself, because there's something very wrong.

Now, the second thing I wanted to talk about is the horrible murder of Iryna Zarutska. This is another awful, senseless loss of life, and the same holds true as what I said about Charlie Kirk. How can anyone be so depraved to take another's life. This one was different, though, Iryna was not a household name. She was not a controversial figure. She had not elected to place herself in the national public spotlight. She was a young woman who fled danger to take a risk for a better life. She was just trying to go home. Her murder was random and unpredictable and brutal. Her killer was psychotic, a trait that I believe is shared by every perpetrator of this sort of crime, because, again, if you are capable of senselessly taking another's life, whether it is with a fun, a pocket knife, a vehicle, a brick, your hands, whatever, there's something very wrong with you. 

What I also find extremely disturbing about this murder, though, is the fact that she was surrounded by people who, initially, did nothing. They kept scrolling through their phones as this young woman was murdered feet away. Now, I know that it was maybe 60-90 seconds before people start to respond, and there's a guy that quickly gets up, but even 60 seconds is an eternity. She sits there, bleeding, then passes out and falls to the floor, and there's no one there. No one is checking if she's ok or not. No one is trying to stop the bleeding, at least not right away. Her killer is pacing the car with a bloody knife, leaving a trail of blood and no one confronts or stops him. 

I don't know if people were unaware of what was going on, if they were in shock, if they were scared, maybe all of these. I honestly don't know how I would respond in that situation or how quickly I would respond, but I hope that my response would be immediate. I would hope that if something happened to me or someone I love that we would be helped by those around us. I hope that I would help. Unfortunately, that doesn't really seem to be the case. 

Our world needs a radical transformation. People need a radical transformation. It seems that many have forgotten that people are made in the image of God, and that from the moment of conception to the moment we die, we are beautiful individuals who are loved and valued by the Creator of everything. Life is a gift of God, and we have started to belittle and negate that gift. Our world is sick, and we need healing. We need transformation, not just laws and policies and safeguards, though all those things can help, but they only address symptoms, not the disease. 

Romans 12:2,9-12 ESV

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

…

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”

God is in the business of healing and transforming hearts and minds, and what we need is a radical transformation. We need Christians to actually be Christians, not just seat warmers on Sundays. We need Christians who actually do what God has called us to, to be who God has called us to be, to surrender fully to Him and to share and spread the Truth and Love in the world, because, guess what, it's enticing and desirable, and when people see and taste the goodness of God they will want to be transformed as well. We need those who don't follow Jesus to surrender to His lordship in their life, to transform their hearts and minds. 

God is Life. He gives life. He wants us to live and live abundantly, not be stuck in fear and hate and death. He wants us to be saved and salvation is found in no one else.