“While we draw breath, there is always some way we can show mercy and kindness.”
I am not sure who recommended this book to me but I had to recommend it to you. This is the book I finished reading on the train from Florida to Iowa last week. I couldn’t help contrasting the journey Mary took with mine.
My journey consisted of 48 hours via car, train and a layover. Mary’s journey was 11 weeks walking through some of the harshest of weather and being made to work as a slave for the Indians that captured her. I am grateful to live in the century I live in but I get ahead of myself.
Mary lived in the mid to late-1600’s. Her family came from England to settle in Massachusetts. They were Puritans. The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. They sought to reform the Church of England by eliminating practices they viewed as remnants of Roman Catholicism. They lived very plain and sober lives and as I learned from this book. Their religion was vastly based on works. That being said, I have yet to learn if they believed in salvation by grace and added the works in. Salvation is never by works but always by faith in the redeeming work of Christ on the cross.
This harrowing captivity took place over a course of 11 weeks and she is mostly famous for the fact that she wrote about her experiences and it was published way back then. Her book was considered a bestseller. You can even find it on Thriftbooks if you want to read her account. (This, alone, always amazes me that even though a reprint, her words have lasted for over 300 years for us to read!)
The novel I read was written by Amy Belding Brown and is told in story form. I have found that it matches very closely to the facts I have found online when researching Mary’s life. I don’t want to tell you a lot about the book because I want you to read it, but even though she suffered greatly in hardships, Mary was quick to tell her English friends and family that the Indians did not molest her or treat her untowardly. In fact, she was surprised to see that many times they worked just as hard as their slaves.
This book was a good read and reminded me a lot of a book I read as a young girl. It, too, was a true story of courage written by Elisabeth George Speare. Calico Captive tells the true story about a family taken captive by Indians and their many years in captivity. This book took place in 1754 and the family lived in New Hampshire which makes me wonder if they had heard about Mary’s story.
Life can be tough no matter what century you live in but life also can be blessed when we know God. Knowing God, we can take any circumstances we are in and quote Scripture just like Mary did in the midst of her grave trial.
“Cast thy burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain thee” Psalm 55.22