GOD & TEXAS: Geronimo!

Mrs. Stecker was my sixth-grade teacher. She was attentive, well-informed, and unamused by pre-teen nonsense. And she was fully engrossed in Texas history.

Living in San Antonio, students were often taken on field trips to historic sites like the Spanish Missions, La Villita, and Market Square. On one trip to Fort Sam Houston, Mrs. Stecker presented a brief teaching on the Apache war leader Geronimo, and his six-week imprisonment in the Quadrangle. 

As an aside, Mrs. Stecker mentioned that her grandfather had served as one of the guards over Geronimo and recounted several of his stories. The revelation that my teacher had a personal connection to such a historical figure brought narrative to life for me. 

Geronimo, a Chiricahua Apache, was also known by his native name Goyahkla. He was raised among the Bedonkohe band in what is now New Mexico. From the mid to late 1800’s, Geronimo raised formidable resistance against migrating settlers from the east who sought to occupy the sacred land of his forefathers. 

On several occasions Geronimo was captured by either the Mexican or United States forces, but always managed to escape. But in 1886, Geronimo became the last Native American leader to surrender to the United States Army. 

Prior to his detention in the military reservation at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Geronimo was briefly imprisoned at Fort Sam Houston to the delight of locals. Viewed as a novel celebrity, he later appeared at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, and rode in Theodore Roosevelt’s inaugural parade in 1905. 

Known as a savvy politician and a cunning manipulator of resources, Geronimo became a vocal advocate for his people while confined to Fort Sill. For added income, he sold buttons from his clothes as souvenirs for tourists, and excelled in promoting himself in the news media. 

But it was still a surprise in July 1903 when the New York Times announced that Geronimo had converted to Christianity, and had been baptized into the Methodist church in Medicine Creek Oklahoma. Many scoffed that it was just another publicity stunt, while others cheered his decision. 

During the next few years prior to his death in 1909, Geronimo drifted in and out of church. His addiction to alcohol intensified as younger leaders replaced his influence in the tribe.  But it is said that he made peace with God and the church before his death. 

In some ways, the life of Geronimo mirrors the life of many Christians. We find Christ after a life of sin. But then we struggle with temptations that challenge our testimony. It was the Apostle Paul who wrote in Romans 7:21 NIV, “So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me.”

The Christian life can be a struggle. No one is perfect. We all fail. Our only hope is in the life and strength of Christ. Paul later said in Romans 7:25 NIV, “Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

--------------------------------

For more inspirational reading please visit www.davidroseministries.com

To purchase the historical non-fiction book GOD and TEXAS by David G. Rose visit www.amazon.com