On April 20, 1999, Cassie Bernall, a junior at Columbine High in Littleton, Colorado, was a typical teenager having a typical day, then a classmate aimed a gun at her and asked if she believed in God. She said “Yes”. Even though she witnessed another classmate get shot for answering yes moments earlier, she still said “Yes”, knowing what would happen next. It was an amazing display of faith and courage that no one will ever forget. Here’s the official website in honor of Cassie. You can also read an excerpt from a book written by Cassie’s Mother called “She Said Yes“.
Michael W. Smith wrote a song for Cassie and called it “This Is Your Time”, which won the Dove Award for the Best Song of the year (Dove is the Christian equivalent to the Grammy Awards).
Michael had this to say, “I went to Littleton (Colorado) to sing Friends at the Columbine Memorial Service and it was a day that impacted me greatly. It was so over-whelming emotionally, that I just had to find a way to cope with it and to digest it all, so I found myself at the keyboard writing music. Meeting Cassie Bernall’s family inspired me the most. Cassie claimed she believed in God and lost her life for it. I have written a song called, This Is Your Time, which is a challenge for us all to recognize through Cassie’s life, that now is our time to stand up and live life unabashedly for God.”
We should all strive to live our lives with such faith and conviction. This is our time. We should live every moment and leave nothing to chance.
The song and the music video are unforgettable. The video footage at the beginning is Cassie which is amazing to see. The other absolutely chilling part of the song and video is the ending sequence with the bagpipes blaring in the distance. What an incredible experience, what she taught us and this haunting tribute to her life. I still get chills at the end when the bag pipes start playing.
Here are the powerful words to the song:
This Is Your Time
It was a test we could all hope to pass
But none of us would want to take
Faced with the choice to deny god and live
For her there was one choice to make
This was her time
This was her dance
She lived every moment
Left nothing to chance
She swam in the sea
Drank of the deep
Embraced the mystery
Of all she could be
This was her time
Though you are mourning, and grieving your loss
Death died a long time ago
Swallowed in life, so her life carries on
Still, it’s so hard to let go
This was her time
This was her dance
She lived every moment
Left nothing to chance
She swam in the sea
Drank of the deep
Embraced the mystery
Of all she could be
What if tomorrow
What if today
Faced with the question
Oh, what would you say
This is your time
This is your dance
Live every moment
Leave nothing to chance
Swim in the sea
Drink of the deep
Fall on the mercy
And hear yourself praying
Won’t you save me
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