The Last of Thirteen Days

          “And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”  Revelation 21:3-4

          At midnight of March 6, 1836, Gen. Santa Anna ordered his senior officers to carry out plans for their siege upon the Alamo.  Young soldiers began to prepare and slowly move into their positions to attack.  This took several hours before they were finally ready to carry out the fateful order to storm the Alamo mission.  Before dawn, the order was given:  Attack, and leave no quarter!  (Take no prisoners, leave none alive.) 

          As history records, the Alamo fell on this day.  Over 180 men fought to the last, killing or wounding around 600 of the enemy forces.  Per Santa Anna’s order, none of the defenders were left alive.  As devastating as this battle was, it served an important role in defeating the Mexican army, once and for all.

          Word spread across Texas that the Alamo had fallen, along with the Texian armies at Goliad.  Tears were shed for the fallen soldiers, on BOTH sides.  The sorrow that was felt by Sam Houston’s soldiers became the fuel that would ignite them when it came their turn to strike back for Santa Anna’s ruthless tactics.  The deaths of their comrades would be avenged.

          I have attempted to imagine the feeling of these men, if I were one of them.  I try to understand the depth of the emotions that even one of them was feeling, stuck inside a broken-down mission, while a massive army is surrounding me.  I am sure that “SCARED” would be up at the top of that list!  Or, how I would feel if I were one of the soldiers that General Sam Houston was preparing for a final strike against the Mexican army.  The anger that would be flooding me, wanting to repay them for the pain that they have caused.  In both cases, extreme focus and dedication had to overcome any other emotions, for me to perform to the best of my abilities.  What about after that?

          The scripture in Revelation chapter 21, becomes a critical component to taking up a life modeled by Christ.  That component is to remind us of the destination that we want to seek.  A destination where there is no pain and misery.  There are no tears or sorrow.  There is no death.  What does await us is happiness, joy, and life; in a way that we cannot fathom on Earth.  While there does seem to be a “calm before the storm”, we must also remember that often the storm must rage most violently, before it ceases to blow and the skies clear. 

          As Christians, we will continue to face battles in our lives.  They will take on many forms and we will have varying degrees of success.  Medical conditions may slow us down, or slowly take life from us.  We may struggle with business or financial stability.  We will definitely face those (even family members or friends) that choose not to follow the ways of God and will rebuke us for our beliefs.  Satan will constantly try to snare us in his traps.  It’s the verse above that we need to keep in mind when these moments come (and, they will come).  Heaven is the ultimate goal!  It is the ultimate destination!  It is our gift and reward for sticking through everything that mortal life throws at us. 

It is the ultimate victory!