Remembering Columbine victim Rachel Scott

Rachel Scott, 17, was the first victim of 1999’s Columbine High School massacre. Her parents, Beth Nimmo and Darrell Scott, wrote the book “Rachel’s Tears” in memory of their daughter, who they believe was targeted by shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold because of her religious values. An excerpt.

We are thankful that you are reading this book, but we hope you understand that it is a book we never wanted to write.

The horrible tragedy at Columbine has turned things absolutely upside down for us and for the other families and loved ones of the thirteen people who were killed and the many more who were injured that day in April 1999.

Since then, this unimaginable event has struck a nerve with people around the world as many have struggled to come to grips with America’s worst school shooting. A writer for the magazine Christianity Today said, “This event is becoming a defining moment for this generation of teens.”

In the past year, we have been repeatedly interviewed by the national media, we have met world leaders and renowned entertainers, and we have spoken to thousands upon thou­sands of people at schools, churches, and town hall meetings.

We do all this because we believe that our daughter Rachel Scott has a powerful message that survives her tragic death and needs to be heard by everyone.

Sorrow and serenity
In everything we do, our deep sense of calling is mingled with a profound sense of sadness. The speeches we have given and the words that appear on these pages have been mixed with innumerable tears.

We wish we didn’t have to do any of this. This whole episode has been a cause of great pain and great loss in our lives. We would drop everything in an instant if we could have Rachel with us once again, or if we could have kept our son Craig from experiencing the horrors he endured that day in the Columbine library.

At the same time, even though we never would have cho­sen to live through the last year, we have lived through it, and we now have a powerful conviction that God had a purpose in the way that Rachel’s life unfolded.

As you will see, Rachel had a growing sense that she did not have long to live. We picked up only inklings of this while she was alive, but it all became crystal clear to us in the weeks and months after her death as we read the many journals she had written.

Letters to God
Some people cry out to God in prayer. Others reach out to God through singing, playing music, or creating works of art. Rachel did all of these things, but more than anything, she poured out her heart to God through writing in her journals.

In 1997, Beth gave Rachel a small journal for Christmas. That very day, Rachel wrote a prayer to God on page one. Reading that prayer today, you can see the simple and joyous intimacy she had with God, telling Him about her plans for the journal, and thanking Him for the birth of His Son nearly two thou­sand years ago. Over the next sixteen months, Rachel would write hundreds of letters to God, leaving us with a record of her love for her Lord.

After her death, we found her many journals, which over­flow with her prayers, her doubts, her ever-evolving sense of purpose and calling, and her growing sense that her days on this earth were numbered.

Photo from "Rachel's Tears" Rachel Scott loved theater, art and music. She was the first victim of the Columbine massacre 10 years ago.

You will be reading portions of her private journals and see­ing some of the drawings she made on their pages. Our pur­pose isn’t to hold Rachel up as some kind of perfect, sinless saint because she was as frail and fallen as all of us, as her brothers and sisters are well aware.

Rather, we share these things because we believe her brief life holds powerful lessons for all of us, including young people, for whom she cared so much, and parents, many of whom struggle with how to instill deep and lasting godly val­ues in their children.

During the last year, we have learned a few other lessons from Rachel’s brief life and sudden death, lessons we will be sharing with you.

Living the life
Rachel loved God, and she had an overpowering urge to communicate that love to everyone she knew. She didn’t beat people over the head with her Bible, and she never coerced anyone into faith. Instead, she shared her faith by living her life to the full, praying that others would see the divine light that burned so brightly within her heart.

We hope that by telling Rachel’s story, we can help those who knew her to have a greater understanding of her inner spiritual motivations. We also hope those who didn’t know her can be inspired by her example.

                  ****

Forgiving the unforgivable
People respond differently to tragedy when it strikes their lives. Some never get over it. Others become bitter and angry, and that is easily understandable. However, we are given the opportunity to experience a realm of grace that is incompre­hensible to some when we choose to forgive. Were we angry when our daughter was killed? Yes! Were we sad? Beyond description! But are we forgiving? That is probably one of the most difficult issues to face when you have been so deeply wronged.

More from TODAY Makeover! New look gets her a proposal Ho-ho-ho! White House Christmas tree arives Sad development: The last Kodachrome film lab Clickable video: Hottest tech gifts of 2009 Star quality? Get your guy on the TODAY show

Our understanding of God’s heart left us only one choice, the decision to forgive. It was the choice of Jesus as He hung on a cross dying. He said in Matthew 5:43–44: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who per­secute you.”

Forgiveness is not just for the offender. It is also for the one who is offended. If we do not forgive, we end up in perpetual anger and bitterness and eventually offend others with our words or actions. If we forgive, we experience a “letting go” or cleansing process that frees us from the offender.

MORE FROM TODAY BOOKS: BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIRS

Brother West: ‘Being true to the funk of living’

Brother West: ‘Being true to the funk of living’ Andre Agassi: I have the body of an old man Former Miss California: I was smeared How dog poop led to love for Paula Deen After having 15 abortions, motherhood saved her Book excerpt: Testimony of an abortion addict Alan Thicke on raising kids who won’t hate you ‘Full House’ star writes about meth, coke binges Parents share diary of child’s cancer battle How America can get 'Smart on Crime'   Add Today Books: Biography/Memoirs headlines to your news reader: