Three thousand people — not counting those watching on live streams —literally saw Charlie Kirk die.

Within minutes, hundreds of thousands witnessed his death on one of many viral social media videos. Since then, perhaps millions more have been exposed to the grisly visual.

View Comments (0)

Pray for your fellow intercessor.

On top of that, thousands of haters have flooded social and legacy media with vicious comments about Mr. Kirk and those who admire him.

This is a moment — like others in our history — the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — of national trauma.

Even those who did not see the murder are roiling in emotions stirred up by the horrendous event and the haters’ reactions.

This horror is traumatic.

Experts define trauma as the lasting physical and emotional effects of experiencing directly or witnessing life-threatening or dangerous events.

Vicarious trauma is a byproduct of witnessing or learning about the traumatic experiences of other people.

Either type of trauma — if not dealt with — can lead to a condition called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

PTSD symptoms include intrusive thoughts, memories, or nightmares; hyper-alertness or startle responses; depression and other mood disorders; social and other types of avoidance; and heightened emotional ups and downs, among other reactions.

Forgiveness helps.

His widow, Erika Kirk, showed us a powerful example of Jesus when she publicly forgave the killer during Mr. Kirk’s memorial.

This release into God’s hands of bitterness and pain has freed her and those who have emulated her to move out of trauma into spiritual health.

This step — essential as many biblical passages make clear — is the first step for true healing.

I refrained from viewing the assassination, but I have been tempted to bitterness by hateful liars and those who have spread vile memes.

I choose to forgive them — as a group and as individuals, in Jesus’ Name.

Forgiving does not require reconciliation, nor does it exempt the offender from the consequences of their actions. Forgiveness appropriates the power of Christ’s Spirit to cleanse our hearts, though.

I want that for me. Jesus wants that for you.

Talking helps.

If you find yourself talking about Mr. Kirk’s killing to God, to others, even to yourself, you are helping yourself “process” the events.

As I wrote in an article about the Hamas horror on Oct. 7, 2023, “process” is a therapy word for talking about the event, re-experiencing it in many ways, until the trauma loses much of its power. This healing dynamic — a kind of desensitization — is powerful for individuals and for nations.

This is why we talk — as individuals and as a nation — when trauma hits home. We talk and talk and talk…and together we come into a more settled place.

When 9/11/2001 hit, one of my colleagues told me his little girls had not been exposed to much media about the details of the terrorist attacks, but they had discerned the sorrow of the event. They played with toy airplanes by smashing their building block towers over and over again.

These little girls were doing in their play what they could to understand the event. This is what we adults were doing in our talk.

Some trauma and crisis counselors encourage those experiencing trauma to talk about it using every sense applicable. As an example, I share some of my thoughts about 9/11/2001. I specifically chose not to do this with Mr. Kirk’s killing; if you choose to follow this format, the reactions should be yours alone.

What did it look like? (Incongruously beautiful. I saw only a few images of the airplane entering the South Tower. Grateful I didn’t see either tower actually fall.)

What did it sound like? (Sirens and sirens and sirens and a strange stillness…a kind of waiting.)

What did it feel like? (Warm, clear, and sunny on the way to work and even in the hours afterward.)

What did it smell like? (Acrid, bitter for weeks following.)

What did it taste like? (Gritty, sour in my mouth.)

Writing these reactions brings me to tears…but not hopelessness. That day no longer haunts me.

Remember that Old Testament champion of suffering — Job — expressed his feelings, thoughts, loneliness, and pain of the trauma that beset him for literally chapters and chapters.

Mourning biblically helps.

Speaking to the Lord with honesty and with honor can be challenging. Ancient Israel’s hymns — the psalms — are God-authorized ways to express our emotions to the Lord.

I have not come upon a human emotion that cannot be described by one of the psalmists.

Songs of lament comprise the largest category of psalms. Among them:

Psalm 6, 10, 38, 42, 130, 142, and on and on. Centering on one of the lament psalms provides a framework for expressing trauma and praying it through.

Many psalms will have a turning point — a place where the singer moves from lament into hope.

This very hope is also available to us as we move into the hope we are seeing spring up from the seed of Charlie Kirk’s blood.

Finding purpose helps.

Seeing a higher purpose in tragedy is critical for resilience. Again, I tap my prior article for this nugget,

Viktor Frankl, an Austrian neurologist, psychologist, and Holocaust survivor, noticed that the captives who survived were the ones who discerned a purpose in their suffering. To harness this healing dynamic, Frankel developed logotherapy.

Many people’s testimony with the Lord is comprised of this type of reframing.

It’s also throughout the Biblical witness. Remembering their slavery in light of their freedom is part of the Passover celebration. Even Joseph — sold into slavery by his brothers — could testify to the Lord’s redemption of the evil.

Bearing witness helps.

Talking and listening to each other breaks through the isolation in which trauma can strand a person. Isolation can breed a debilitating sense of uniqueness and victimhood that inhibits intimacy with God and other people.

Knowing others share in our trauma can be very healing, according to group therapists. Sharing struggles — provided we share victory despite difficulty — can open the door to trust and healing.

Looking at the Lord helps.

Long ago, I heard a preacher speak about the last thing King Zedekiah saw. The Babylonians had taken Jerusalem and arrested the king and his court. As 2 Kings 25:6-7 reads:

So they took the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and they pronounced judgment on him. Then they killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, put out the eyes of Zedekiah, bound him with bronze fetters, and took him to Babylon.

Do not let the last image you lay eyes upon be the slaughtered one; turn your eyes upon the Lord.

Job came to his healing when he had a new revelation of God.

Pray that you can see him high and lifted up, with the train of His robe filling the temple.

Ask the Lord to show you Himself in His temple and on His throne.

Ask to see Jesus Christ in His triumphant return.

Steep yourself in biblical pictures of the Triune God.

Jesus helps.

As a counselor, I’ve thought long and hard about the so-called “Talking Cure.” And I marvel at its effectiveness.

Why does talking heal? Perhaps because it helps wrestle the trauma to a manageable size. Perhaps because our God-instilled hope is so deep, we can usually talk our way out of the pain.

But I think the truth is, the Word heals.

He has healed from the beginning when the Father spoke order out of chaos.

He has healed when the Son humbled himself by being born as a man to live the perfect life no human could and to die the sacrificial death no one else could, so that we who choose to believe can be healed of sin and be made perfect in community with the Triune God.

Jesus Heals.

The Word Heals.

Lord, thank You for the healing You bring through Your Son — The Word of God made flesh. Thank You for the healing You bring through therapeutic means. Thank You for bringing powerful meaning out of Charlie Kirk’s death, and for the hope You have given to us all.

Wipe every evil image from our minds and our memories in Your time and in Your way. As our Good Shepherd, lead us through this valley of deepest darkness until we can feast safely in Your tent in the midst of our enemies.

Share your prayer for healing below.

New York City–based Joyce Swingle is an intercessor and a contributing writer for IFA. With her husband, Rich, who is also a contributing writer for IFA, Joyce shares the gospel of Jesus Christ around the world through theater, speaking, writing, and film. Prior to going into full-time ministry, Joyce worked for close to 20 major magazines. She holds a master’s degree in Christian mental health counseling and now works in pastoral ministry and Christian counseling. www.RichDrama.com. Photo Credit: Ben White on Unsplash.