The Cost of Peace
When rights divide, only surrender can unite
The death of Charlie Kirk highlights a sobering truth: as people, we cannot get along—and we will never find lasting peace on this side of Heaven. Some lean far left, others far right, some land in the middle, and many are simply trying to make it through each day. Every person carries beliefs, opinions, and reasons for the path they follow. Yet those beliefs are shaped by limited perspectives—like trying to solve a million-piece puzzle while missing most of the pieces.
Our views are formed inside bubbles—shaped by our desires, upbringing, culture, country, friends, experiences, social media, and even the wounds and abuses we’ve endured. These forces define what we call “right,” often confining us so tightly that we cannot see beyond our own perspective.
For many, beliefs are guided not by truth, but by what brings happiness. If something feels good, it must be right—and others, they assume, should believe the same way. But life is a recipe with millions of ingredients. Just because the mixture we use tastes good to us doesn’t mean it’s the right one.
The activist, the religious devotee, the spiritual seeker, the addict, the drinker, the transgender person, the homosexual—all are convinced they are right. Even Hitler believed he was doing what was right. Tyler Robinson, the man who shot Charlie Kirk, believed he was doing what was right. And before Christ found me, I too thought I was doing nothing wrong. I believed I was just having fun—drinking, using drugs, and chasing pleasure. I was blind, lost, not yet found. And so are many who cling to their beliefs, convinced they are right.
But I believe it doesn’t matter which side we stand on—every one of us should mourn for the other. If we claim to have love and believe we are right, then those who disagree with us are lost, and that should stir our hearts to grief, not hatred. Hate is like hating a blind man for walking into walls.
Sadly, Christians believe they are right, too
I hear many Christians shouting that we need to fight against those who oppose God, that the man who shot Charlie Kirk should be put to death, and that we must “make our country godly again.” I hear others pointing fingers at those they consider ungodly, declaring them abominations destined for hell. Still others stay silent, unwilling to speak or act at all.
For the Christian who seeks only to “make their country better,” that is not love—it is division. It draws lines, placing us on one side and others on the opposite, treating them as threats to our world. But God never told us to force others to live by what we believe to be His truth. The sinner cannot yet understand the things of the Spirit.
If we truly want people to live for Christ, we must show them Christ—through our actions and our words. To follow Him is to imitate Him: to walk as He walked, to live as He lived, and to give ourselves as He gave Himself for the world.
This world is passing away. God is not concerned with our countries or taking sides in human conflicts. Heaven, however, will be filled with repentant sinners from every corner of the earth—evil humans who have turned from their sins, homosexuals, transgender people, liars, thieves, adulterers, even murderers. There will be no color, no race—only God’s family united together.
We must never allow country or culture to divide us. This is why God commanded us not to love the world or the things of this world, but to love one another—in His name and by His strength.
Our greatest concern should not be our nation or our freedoms, but the eternal destiny of people’s souls. Our mission is not to fix the earth but to fill Heaven. Yes, we are called to be good stewards of the world God entrusted to us, and to live with kingdom-minded vision here and now—but never to demand or force that upon others. Division drives unbelievers away. We claim the love of Christ, but then we condemn, mock, and distance ourselves from those we say we want to reach. We say we want them in Heaven, but we don’t want them in our neighborhoods.
vI understand why some Christians say, “I don’t want my children in school with transgender students, homosexuals, or others whose beliefs I disagree with.” It is a difficult struggle. But this is what God has already told us—the blind will hate us, and the lost will persecute us. Yet it is in the darkness that the light shines the brightest. Our task is to build ourselves up in Christ so that His light shines through us. vAs for our children, the same principle applies. If the world insists on pushing its beliefs into young, undeveloped minds, then we must protect our children—by teaching them truth at home, guiding them to safe environments, and even homeschooling if necessary. And when others protest, we can answer: “You don’t want our beliefs taught in schools, and we don’t want yours. So let us train our children in the way they should go.”A Higher Call
When people choose not to live for God on this side of eternity, our response should mirror the response of Christ: to mourn, to weep, and to love our enemies. Just as He died for us while we were still His enemies, so too are we called to lay down our lives for them.
vPaul the Apostle once persecuted and killed Christians before he encountered Jesus. Many believers today might have condemned him to death—but God did not. Instead, He saved Paul, opened his eyes, and transformed him into a powerful servant of Christ.Yes, there are evil people in the world, but God will judge and make all things right in the end. Our call, as Christians, is not to hate but to love. My desire is that everyone be saved—I don’t care who they are. The best way to lead people to Christ is not through force, but by living the faith He has called us to live. By shining His light, the beauty of Christ Himself becomes what draws those living in darkness.
Yet I admit, the struggle is real. My need to be right often gets in the way. But we must let people live as they choose, trusting that—as many of us once did—they will eventually tire themselves out apart from Christ. In the meantime, let us show them the true love of Jesus, so they see there is a better way. Brothers and sisters, if we look like the world, sound like the world, and smell like the world, then all we are offering is a Christ wrapped in the world—and that is no Christ at all. No wonder they aren’t buying it.
We are not here to fight for our rights and freedoms; we are here to fight to show Christ, to open blind eyes to His truth.
The Cost of Peace
Here is the hard truth: God was right—we cannot live in perfect peace with one another on this side of Heaven. That will never happen. So let’s stop trying to control people into living in a “godly state.” Instead, let us show them Christ. We may spend this life on opposite sides, but the true goal is that, by God’s grace, we all end up on the same side for eternity.
If God told you that your death would bring peace to the entire world, how would you respond? Many would ask, “But what about me? What do I get in return?”
Yet God is calling us to trust Him, to believe in Him, and when we do, His Spirit comes upon us—uniting us in one spirit, one mind, and one heart. This is the pathway to peace. But such peace only comes when we surrender ourselves fully to God.
Imagine if God commanded us to give up something precious—whether it be drinking, remaining single for life, leaving social media, or sacrificing any one thing—for the sake of peace. Would we obey? Sadly, I fear most of us would not.
So the question remains: are we truly seeking peace, or are we clinging to our rights and freedoms like everyone else, feeding the very divisions we claim to oppose?
In the end, the choice is ours. Who knows better—us, with our limited vision, or God, who sees completely and eternally?
I have a friend I dearly love who is transgender, and she is living the life she believes is right for her. I believe she is living apart from God, and we disagree on this side of Heaven—but I want her to know Christ and spend eternity in Heaven. My best and only way to love her is to show her who Christ is and why He alone is true and better, and then let her make the choice. It is like sharing what I believe are the winning lotto numbers—I know they are right, but she may not believe. If I truly love her, I am compelled to share them anyway.
God is creating a family in Heaven—believers from every nation, every background, united together, to spend eternity in His glory. There, the illusions of knowing better, of clinging to rights or freedoms, will fall away. Everything will be about God—and God alone.
