Rachel's Tears

While I was in college, I read a book titled "Rachel's Tears." This book tells the story of a young lady named Rachel Joy Scott. She was killed in the 1999 Columbine School shooting and has been deemed a martyr. She was asked if she believed in God by her murderers and was killed as a result of her answer. She was only seventeen years old. The pages of this book tell a story of an exceptional teenager who had an incredible relationship with God and tried to make an impact on everyone around her by sharing this with anyone she came in contact with.

I picked up this book once again last week and I am reading it for the second time. I think I am even more inspired reading this book today as a result of maturity as well as my own personal close relationship with God that is always evolving. Rachel's parents wrote this book together with Steve Rabey. The presentation of her life and faith in this book is incredibly inspiring and her parents have also included many excerpts from her private journals. Rachel's parents found her journals after her death and were moved enough by them to write this book. Amazing.

Rachel's father, Darrell, states in one of his passages that we should think of Rachel's life as an example of amazing things that can happen when any of us, no matter how ordinary, open our hearts to God's deep and boundless love.

One story that Darrell relays in his writings particularly hit me. Rachel worked at a sandwich shop and one day she was the store opener. She did all of the prep work and then opened the store by herself. After 5 minutes of being open, a woman came in and she looked very poor. She asked Rachel if she knew what time it was because she was trying to catch the Saturday morning bus. Rachel felt terrible because it was actually Sunday. The woman was so confused and upset by her mistake that she asked if she could have a seat since it was warm in the shop while she figured out what she should do. After about an hour, another customer came in, placed an order, and asked about the woman who was still sitting in the shop. That customer ordered a sandwich for the lady (which Rachel gave at no charge and also a bag of chips) and she sat with her for 2 hours talking to her. Rachel felt so terrible for not being that person who reached out and talked to her. Rachel then realized that she was the one who had lost out on that experience and that when she passes on an opportunity like that more than one person is affected by it. She was as well as they. What an awesome message.

I am about 1/2 way through this book and I may feel the need to share additional stories about Rachel. I hope to share this book with my teenage cousin, Abby. She is fifteen and has been showing an interest in church and her faith for sometime. I hope Abby will read this book and that it will help her to continue to be enthusiastic for her love of our Lord. I hope Rachel's story inspires you, too!