What Matters?

Erika Kirk forgave the man who murdered her husband eleven days ago. She did this in front of over 100,000 people, including the most powerful American government officials. She did this for the world to see as millions watched. But, most importantly, she did this with grace and humility before our God.

Jesus changed the world, but there was one specific teaching that was radical at the time, and remains the most challenging one of them all today. Love your enemies. Love those who persecute you. It’s important to realize this couldn’t have been further from what the Jewish law taught when Jesus said this. He flipped the Mosaic law upside down.

Now, Erika Kirk publicly showed the world what this means. There hasn’t been a more public display of this since Pope John Paul II forgave the man who attempted to assassinate him. God works in wildly mysterious ways, doesn’t He? Everything in the last eleven days, and everything from here on out is truly just noise. There is only one thing to remember. Never forget what Erika did. She showed us what Jesus taught us. She displayed what God wants most of us.

You see, if we choose love over hate, then nothing else matters. Look at it this way. God made everyone in His image. And, God is love. Therefore, we are to love everyone God created. But, what about the evil? The evil is brought about by the devil. He corrupts the beautifully created person and fogs their ability to carry out the love that God wishes for us by giving us free will. When someone chooses hate, we need to not hate the person, because in turn, you’re hating someone God created out of love. Instead, show love for that person. The love drives out the hate, fights the devil, and takes away the evil from one’s heart. Love is our weapon, and when we fight with love and prayer, we will win.

Erika chose to love. Who are we to not follow her lead? All of us should draft some texts or make some calls this week to those who we’ve become estranged from. All of us should smile a little more, be more helpful, and look around to offer more compassion. Because in the end, nothing matters besides how much love you shared with everyone else around you. It’s how we are going to be judged when we meet the God who created us out of love.