The Challenge of Compassion in a Broken World: Finding compassion and courage amid tragedy and loss

The last couple of weeks have left me thinking a lot about compassion—how deeply needed and necessary it really is, and what happens when it’s absent.

A quick scroll through social media makes it obvious: we see both the presence and the lack of compassion everywhere. The word itself means “to suffer together.” That’s what compassion is—entering into someone else’s pain, even if it’s uncomfortable.

We are called to suffer together with one another, even when it’s hard.

We’ve seen many people show that kind of “suffering together” in response to what happened to Charlie Kirk. And we’ve also seen the opposite—responses marked by cruelty, heartlessness, and mercilessness—simply because they disagreed with what he believed. I even saw a video of someone saying that if you don’t have compassion for Charlie and his family—that’s okay, you don’t need to. But that’s exactly the problem. We’re losing sight of what compassion even means—and what it does to a society when it’s absent.

Compassion and Justice

I fully believe that Charlie’s shooter needs to face justice. But I also believe that we who are Christians are called to show compassion toward him as well. Showing compassion doesn’t mean ignoring justice. Tyler Robinson still needs to face the consequences of his actions, but we can do so while recognizing his humanity and God’s grace.

Lost Sheep in Need of a Shepherd

The word that keeps coming to my mind is lost. Scripture says:

“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way.”

I don’t know if the full weight of what Tyler Robinson has done has sunk in for him yet—but I can imagine it has. At just 22, his life as he knew it is already over. And his earthly life may even end as a result of this. Tyler and those making cruel comments are all lost sheep in need of a Shepherd.

And this isn’t just a tragedy because of what happened to Charlie. It’s a tragedy for Tyler, and for his family as well.

None of this is good. There is no happy ending here apart from God’s grace.

God’s Patience and Mercy

But God is not slow, as some count slowness. He is patient, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Tyler Robinson still has time. He is not beyond the reach of God’s love.

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.”
— Ephesians 2:4-6

Neither are the people who have made calloused, cold, and ignorant comments about Charlie Kirk’s death. I believe God could redeem Tyler Robinson, and one day he could stand in the presence of Jesus—right alongside Charlie. The same is true for those whose words have tried to justify Charlie’s death.

And that, to me, is the beauty and wonder of our God—and the Gospel: that those who stood against each other are invited to come together in heaven.

Courage Anchored in Christ

This moment also calls something out of us as Christians. It has the potential to either shape us or break us. We can let it push us deeper into courage and commitment to our faith, or we can shrink back and hide. And I understand how tempting it is to hide—people can be cruel, and it hurts to open ourselves up to criticism. And a man was just killed for having the same beliefs.

But when I think of Charlie, and of the many martyrs before him, I’m reminded that surely I can endure a little mockery or misunderstanding if it means standing for the truth of God’s Word. Not with arrogance, not by arguing for the sake of winning, but by speaking truth with compassion and genuine care.

“Courage anchored in Christ, lived out in love, is the witness the world needs most right now.”

That is the witness the world needs most right now: courage anchored in Christ, lived out in love.