I have been thinking about this for a long time. When Charlie Kirk was shot, I honestly didn't know who he was. I thought he was Ben Shapiro, I got the two of them confused and they don't even look like each other, but it's the truth...I also got Matt Walsh mixed up in there with them! I had seen a few of each of their (short form content) videos and as they both talked about politics and I never followed any of them it all kind of ran together.
It has been five months since Charlie Kirk was shot and I have watched many of his videos and heard about him many times on the news since. I am grieved that there is so much controversy and conspiracy over his death! I want justice for Charlie Kirk and my inquisitive heart also wants clarity.
I also know who Candace Owens is and honestly, I really like her. I like how she does her own thing and tries to stands up for truth. If you have seen any of her videos you can tell she absolutely believes what she is saying and doesn't hold back on her investigative journalism. She stands apart from conservative and liberal news agencies as somewhere in the middle... I have been following her reporting on Charlie's death and I definitely believe that Tyler Robinson was involved somehow but I don't think he pulled the trigger. There are many odd things about that case and I am hopeful we will live to see true justice for Charlie carried out here on earth. I think Candace has a right to look into this and she's perfectly poised in the media world to delve into the nitty gritty of Charlie's assassination.
I know that God knows exactly what happened on September 10th when Charlie was shot, and that in the end, God wins. He will bring Charlie's murderer to justice on his own time.
"Nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light."(Luke 8:17)
God is working, and I believe and trust in him.
This brings me to the ongoing controversy, between Erika Kirk and Candace Owens.
I don't think Erika Kirk had anything to do with Charlie's death. And I don't think Erika has any ulterior or hidden motives in her past or present.
I think Erika is suffering. She deeply misses her husband. She knows that Turning Point USA was highly cherished by him. And she thinks that by working hard to make his dream a reality she is keeping him alive...there is probably much more complexity behind her choice to assume the role of CEO of Turning Point, yet I feel the crux of it is either Charlie planned for her to take over after his death, or Erika thinks she is fulfilling his dreams/wishes. Her husband is dead, and she does not want to see him dream die with him.
I also think Erika loves working. She loves to be busy. She's owned businesses before and she's a savvy businesswoman! She needs people around her who will encourage her to rest and take care of her family. Charlie, I am sure, loved his kids and his wife more than Turing Point USA.
One of the problems is that Charlie, and Erika also--are both public figures. It is hard to grieve publicly. Being in the public eye is to be under intense scrutiny. The public can turn on you in a second. And the media plays a big part in that.
I have seen the videos of Candace Owens coming out against Erika. The hard thing is--Erika is both a grieving widow and the CEO of Turning Point USA. These two things should not exist simultaneously. No one, after the public execution of their husband, should be working in an office mere weeks after such an atrocity. She shouldn't be helping his staff heal or telling them in meetings to take time off. She is in the midst of trauma and she needs, desperately, to have space to breathe and process.
I think--that Erika is a Martha. You know, the Mary-Martha story--I'm oversimplifying here, but I think Erika, like Martha, likes to work. I also like to work. I like to be busy. Being still in the middle of a tragedy makes it worse. Ignoring it and working, and telling myself I am doing the right thing, even if I know it's wrong--it's easier. That is what I see in Erika. Someone who thinks she has to keep going. For Charlie, and for herself. It isn't that she has some underhanded plan. There is no subterfuge behind her actions. She is simply a human woman who is flawed and needs deep healing. I don't mean to say she can ever "heal" from the loss of her husband but she needs space to process what she has been through and she needs rest with her family and children.
If Erika was my friend, I would tell her to go away somewhere for a year and just exist. Be with family and friends. Make waffles for your kids in the morning. Cry. Watch Elizabeth Elliott videos--her husband was murdered too. She has wise, wise words for hurting souls.
You can't put a band-aid on a wound like the loss of your dearest friend, your husband, your solider in the midst of the world, the father of your children and your pillow confidant. Charlie was that and more to her.
Who Erika dated in the past doesn't matter. Stop digging up her past. I'm sure Charlie knew it. I don't see any red flags or issues with her past. Clearly she had problems and sin in her life before she was saved. Clearly she needs Jesus now just as much as she did as a 22 year old.
I think Candace wants someone to blame. Candace loves the truth. But she can also fixate on supposed idiosyncrasies that are just life. A picture moved in Charlie's office doesn't mean they were on the brink of divorce. Erika saying she "lived in China" and then saying she was "just on a trip" isn't a big deal. I don't see any issues there, no hidden agenda, just a nuance of words.
Candace is a conspiracy theorist, and there are a lot of conspiracy theories that are true. But just like police officers struggle with identifying innocent people because they see so much crime, I think here Candace is struggling to see normal grief because she deals with so many conspiracies. And obviously Candace and Erika are very different people, and I think Candace doesn't recognize the idea that grief can look so different.
I think Erika is the wrong rock to look under. Candace can be wrong too. Candace has a hard time with that...she so desperately wants to find the why and the how behind her dear friend Charlie's death that she's burning bridges without thinking.
So I stand with Erika. I may disagree with her actions after her husband death but I stand with her, grieve with her, and pray daily for her and her children.
What do you think?
No comments:
Post a Comment