Up a winding track, nestled in the side of a hill overlooking the Rocky Mountains sits the memories and tributes to the lives lost in the Columbine High School Massacre.
The wind whistles through the trees as the somber atmosphere hits me as I walk into the memorial. Silent except for the sounds of the far off street and the soft sounds of nature lies this dedication to a moment that changed America forever.
As the tears that have welled up in my eyes begin to spill onto my cheeks, the sorrow of this place feels like a weight has been placed on my shoulders. Empathy has always been a quality I posses and here, among the names of the students and teacher that will never get chase their dreams, I am overwhelmed with emotions.
The silence leaves me with only my thoughts to listen to and the memories of this tragedy to haunt me. The stone and brick wall that is built into the hill hold quotes from friends, faculty, and parents of the victims. These quotes remind us of the shock and the hurt that April 20th, 1999 brought upon this nation.
In the inner circle of the memorial holds a special tribute to each life that was lost that day. Written by family and friends, these tributes are emotional memorials of who these victims were and could have been. With each name listed, I am reminded how real hate and fear are in this world. But with each victim that belonged to Christ, I am reminded of the hope that Christ alone can bring.
I do not know why two teenage boys walked into their school and sent gunfire blasting all over the school killing many and injuring even more.I do not know why those particular students and teacher were the ones to die. Sadly, I might never know.
What I do know is this: some of these students death has brought people to Christ. Their heart and passion for the Lord is alive and strong even through death. Students like Rachel Scott, Cassie Bernall, Isaiah Shoels, and John Tomlin have words of faith written on their memorials that bring hope to an otherwise hopeless event. Even at their young age, their apparent love of Christ and others is infectious and challenged me to be even more outspoken in my faith.
I walked into this memorial with tears and sorrow; and I walked away with hope and passion for my Lord. We live in a fallen world where tragedy exists but CHRIST is our hope in all things. 
Leave a Reply