I took a wrong turn.

I was headed to the gym after work, something I do once or twice a week when I can squeeze it in. It was Friday; my mind was burdened with work stress, party logistics for my daughter’s birthday over the weekend, and just a general heaviness from recent events in our country.

I suddenly realized I had exited the freeway to head home, instead of driving down a few more exits to get to the gym. In the past five years of commuting to and from my work, I had never made this mistake before.

I was slightly annoyed when I saw that it was going to add five minutes to my trip to go a different way, but it was faster than turning around, and I was determined to make it to my 3 pm class, so I pressed on.

As I was driving down Phoenix surface streets, a bright reflection caught my eye. I turned my head and noticed a lawn scattered with flowers, American flags, and other paraphernalia glittering in the afternoon sun. My mind quickly took it in… American flags, flowers, a memorial on the lawn in front of a mortuary, and a police car quietly sitting on the side of the building. Could it be I had just unknowingly stumbled upon the place they brought Charlie Kirk’s slain body to prepare him for burial?

A quick Google search when I pulled into the gym parking lot confirmed my hypothesis. Then I had a thought, “Maybe I should visit on my way home.” I have essays swirling in my head about the assassination, and I could take a few photos to share with my writing.

I drove by the mortuary on my way home and slowed. No one was there, except for the police SUV, which made me a bit uneasy. Was I allowed to get out and take photos? I decided it was probably fine, and I should be more courageous. I circled the block and came back to the building. By this time, a professional photographer had arrived and was taking pictures with a large camera. I parked and walked up to the sobering memorial, snapping photos on my iPhone. Within a couple of minutes, another group of men walked up, this time with a news camera. One of them approached me. He had a European accent and kind eyes. He asked me if I was local. Did I know Charlie personally? No, I replied, but we had some mutual friends, and I had heard him speak a couple of times.

Then he asked me if I would be willing to do an interview. He shared that he was from a Swiss news station.

My mind began whirling. Should I agree to be interviewed? Would my employer mind if my first and last names were shared? Was this correspondent going to drag me into some awful political conversation and make me explain what Charley meant by “black pilots” in front of the building where his body lay? Also, did I really want to be seen on TV while wearing gross, sweaty workout clothes?

To stall while I made up my mind, I asked him a few questions. Did he and his team fly all the way from Switzerland for the memorial? What was the sentiment toward Charlie in his native country?

His tone was sober and reverent. He told me that most of Europe is actually quite shaken by Charlie’s death. He hinted that he might be a believer. And as he spoke, I knew what I had to do. The Holy Spirit was prompting. I would respond to his questions, and instead of getting into politics, I would try to make every answer about Jesus.

I don’t remember every word of the interview, but I tried to capture his three main questions and paraphrase my answers after it happened. I share them here:

Why are people drawn to Charlie Kirk?

Because he was bold in his faith in every circumstance and brought the hope of Jesus into every conversation, whether he was visiting a college, speaking from a stage, or on a walk with a friend. Many Christians are scared to share the gospel, but Charlie never was.

Do I think Charlie was a martyr?

Absolutely. He died because he boldly professed what he believed. If we look at the martyrs throughout the history of Christendom, they were the people who were willing to speak up for what the Bible says is true, even if it meant opposing the king, other rulers, or the political spirit of the age.

What will Charlie's legacy be?

Charlie's legacy will be one of courage. He showed people of all ages, but particularly young people, how to be brave. He showed them that speaking about Jesus is worth any cost, even though, sadly, it cost him his life. Because of him, people are sharing the gospel, returning to church, and reading their Bibles, and I believe the next generation will be raised with boldness and conviction because of the example Charlie set for us.

​
I did my best to make every answer about Charlie’s faithfulness to Jesus. I walked away feeling joy.

It wasn’t until I got home and was recounting the event with my husband that I realized the way God ordained all of it.

If I hadn’t made my silly wrong turn, I never would have driven by the mortuary.

If it hadn’t been exactly 2:30 pm, and I hadn’t been driving on that side of the road, the reflections from the memorial never would have caught my eye. Much to my chagrin, I am not always the most observant person. I would have passed the same building on the way home, but since it was much later in the afternoon and the memorial was in the shadows by that point, I doubt I would have noticed it from the opposite side of the road.

Only because I circled the block once did I run into the newsmen. If I had just gone straight to the parking lot, I likely would have snapped my own photos quickly and missed them.

I was reminded of this truth...

What God ordains, God does.

So many times in life, God works out the seemingly insignificant details for his significant purposes. He is sovereign over wrong turns, malfunctioning alarm clocks, forgotten lunches, where you sit at the office brunch, or the unexpected hallway conversation.

Nothing is a coincidence under his control. Nothing is permitted beyond his providence. Nothing succeeds apart from his sovereignty.

What God ordains, God does.

May we embrace the journey with joy.