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Cassie Bernall

by Laura from West Lafayette

"She did not have super-powers, batmobiles, or super-suits, but she had faith in Jesus Christ - and faith in Jesus is more powerful than earthly things that legendary heroes have."
Cassie rock climbing (http://www.cassierenebernall.org/)
Cassie rock climbing (http://www.cassierenebernall.org/)

On April 20, 1999, in Littletown, Colorado, a seventeen year old girl named Cassie Bernall died for her faith. By some people, she has been named a modern-day martyr, and by others, a hero. But calling this normal teen-age girl a hero and putting her in a major spotlight is far beyond what she was like. Cassie considered herself an average teenager who was going through life just like anyone else. Her death was also not something new to her; every day, she died to herself by handing her life over to Christ in surrender to what she wanted, and in humility. She knew that she was not perfect and did not try to make it seem like she was. Several years before her death, she was very rebellious, and at times, she had thoughts of committing suicide or killing her parents. She was involved in witch-craft and drugs, and was the total opposite of what anyone would consider a “good” girl.

Her life changed for the better, however, when her parents started taking her to a local youth group where, after some time, she began hanging out with a girl named Jamie who ended up taking Cassie to a Christian camp where Cassie gave her life to Christ. At this point in her life, she completely changed for the good and dramatically grew in her faith. After about two years, her final test in her faith came when two teenage boys from Columbine High school caused what was said to be the second deadliest massacre on a high school. These two boys, who were seniors in high school, had already killed a number of fellow students when they entered the school library where some other teens - including Cassie - were studying during their lunch break. Eric Harris, one of the gunmen, walked to a table where Cassie was hiding and asked her if she believed in God. When she answered “yes,” he shot her in the head, and she died. Due to the answer that she gave to the question that was asked about God, and what happened when she said “yes”, she was considered a martyr for her faith. But her death was not unplanned by God; it was obviously her time to go home to be with her heavenly Father.

Unlike the belief that Batman, Superman, Mr. Incredible, and Spiderman are heroes, I believe that Cassie Bernall had the character of a true hero. No, she did not have super-powers, batmobiles, or super-suits, but she had faith in Jesus Christ – and faith in Jesus is much more powerful than earthly things that legendary heroes have. Her legacy has made a huge impact on my life, not because I consider her this supernatural person who did not make mistakes, but because she was much like I am now, before she died. She had imperfections, doubts, fears, and the normal things that Christians face. What makes her faith and testimony stand out to me, however, is that she was willing to die for Christ - just as he died for her. Cassie’s amazing faith gives me the courage to say “yes, I believe in God,” even if someone were to kill me for my faith.

Page created on 4/20/2006 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 4/20/2006 12:00:00 AM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.

Related Links

Columbine High School - Wikipedia