What Do You Value?

As you all know, I recently read The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper. And if you read my recap of it, you also know that I couldn't put it down. But as I neared the end of the book, this sentence stopped me in my tracks.

"...for the Hurons were in no degree exempt from that governing principle of nature, which induces man to value his gifts precisely in the degree that they are appreciated by others."

From The Last of the Mohicans (chapter 27) page 290.

Let that sink in a minute.

What makes something valuable? Think about your life. Think about what you have. What is more valuable to you than anything else? Why is it that thing? 

Oftentimes, we humans ascribe value to things simply based on whether the majority of people also value it. 

Now I understand that my diamond engagement ring is worth more than a candy ring pop. I get that. But let's really think about this. A lot of statistics today show that more than half of all marriages end in divorce. Society has said that marriage is not valuable. That if you can't seem to get along with your spouse, or if marriage is making your life harder instead of easier, then you can just throw your marriage away and start over. And since the majority seem to agree with this mindset, we have people in marriages who don't value their spouse. Who are too busy looking around and thinking the grass is greener on the other side instead of rolling up their sleeves and getting down to the business of cultivating their own lawn. Who are having affairs, physical and emotional, thinking that since marriage isn't that important, they're not doing any damage. 

Or think about this. Approximately 42 million abortions occur each year. Forty. Two. Million. Does that number not stagger you? That calculates out to over 100,000 abortions every single day. Society has said that human life is not valuable. That if a pregnancy comes at a bad time for you or if the baby growing inside of you might not be perfectly healthy, then you can just throw that life away and not feel guilty about it. And since the loudest voices are screaming that every woman has the right to choose whether or not they should be able to have a baby or throw it away, we have teenage girls who are making a decision they can never take back. Who are damaging their body and their psyche without realizing the consequences of such an act. We have women who are calloused, jaded, and crusading for a cause they don't believe in to assuage their guilty conscience. 

Let's take it even further. We're seeing studies that show millennials are walking away from the church in droves. Society has said that the Bible is not valuable. That if you believe the universe happened as a result of chance, or if same-sex marriage is not a sin, then you can just throw away what the Bible has to say to these issues and do whatever you want. And since the most popular opinions seem to be that evolution is scientifically sound and same-sex marriage is not offensive and gender-reassignment is perfectly acceptable and life before birth actually isn't life at all, we have a world full of people who think that they can still claim the name of Christ while living in direct opposition to His Word. Who have taken prayer out of schools and public places and government. Who are persecuting anyone who does take a stand for Biblical truth. 

I could go on and on. Don't even get me started on being discontent with the size of your TV, or your house, or your yard. Comparison is a dangerous game, and using a standard set by sinful people to measure your own blessings or determine the state of your personal contentment is a road you don't need to go down.

Let's be people who think for ourselves. Who value marriage and life and God's Word. Who treasure and protect these most precious of gifts instead of mindlessly following the herd mentality we so often encounter. Let's be people who stand up--even if it means standing alone--for truth.

What do you value?

A Word for Wednesday

"' 'Tis extraordinary that he should have withheld his knowledge so long,' muttered Duncan, 

at his elbow.

'It would have been more wonderful had he spoken without a bidding. 

No, no; your young white, who gathers his learning from books and can measure what he knows by the page, may conceit that his knowledge, like his legs, outruns that of his father; but where experience is the master, the scholar is made to know the value of years, and respects them accordingly.'"

~The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper~

Let's Bust a Recap : The Last of the Mohicans

Well, I have finished reading The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper. I was so blown away by this book I have no idea where to start. 

First of all, it was excellent. I was so completely enthralled by this novel that I read it in a quick two weeks. 

Second of all, I went into this read with certain expectations after having seen--and incidentally, I own--the 1992 movie adaptation of this book starring Daniel Day-Lewis. I, personally, really enjoy the movie, and I'm sure I'll watch it again. But let me tell you something: that movie has absolutely nothing to do with the novel by James Fenimore Cooper. N O T H I N G. All the expectations I had were completely and systematically shattered the further I journeyed into the world of Hawkeye, Uncas, and Chingachgook. By the end of the story, I literally had no idea what was going to happen, and I gasped aloud when a certain pivotal moment occurred. So if you've ever seen the movie, please, put it out of your mind if you ever decide to read this novel. And by all means, read the novel.

But let's back up, shall we? The Last of the Mohicans centers around the three characters I already mentioned: the wise white scout Hawkeye (of if you prefer his Christian name, Nathaniel Bumppo) and his two Indian counterparts (Chingachgook and his son Uncas), as well as Duncan Heyward (a brave, young major in the English army), David Gamut (a singing idiot, although he does come through at the end), and Cora and Alice Munro (the beautiful daughters of General Munro). The Last of the Mohicans is a thrilling tale set in 1757 during the French and Indian War. (For all of you who might not be historically savvy, the French and Indian War in America was not between the French and Indians, but actually was a conflict between France and Great Britain to gain control of North America. It was before we gained our independence from Europe which happened in 1776. Enough with the history lesson; it's really not what this post is supposed to be about.) Anyway, the plot follows the adventures of the above-named characters as they struggle against the bloodthirsty and completely evil-to-his-very-core Huron Indian Magua, or, as the French call him, Le Renard Subtil. And let me tell you, what a bundle of adventures. This book does not contain a single dull moment. It's the type of novel that leaves you--sometimes literally--hanging off a cliff at the end of each chapter. I found myself holding my breath a lot, and Cody found me during every single down second of time we had riveted to this book. Time to go to church? I'm ready and sitting on the couch reading The Last of the Mohicans. Bedtime? Up till midnight reading The Last of the Mohicans. Sitting in a restaurant waiting for our food to come? Complaining that I didn't bring The Last of the Mohicans with me. I'm not kidding, you guys. This one's a page-turner, and I highly recommend it.

Some quick fun facts about the author, James Fenimore Cooper, which I have taken straight from my personal copy of The Last of the Mohicans: "According to family lore, Cooper fell into writing on a dare: One evening he threw down a novel in disgust, saying he could write a better book himself; when [his wife] Susan challenged him and reminded him that he could barely stand to write a letter, Cooper wrote his first novel, Precaution, published in 1820. Encouraged by favorable reviews, Cooper wrote other books in quick succession and was soon regarded as a major voice in America's emerging literary tradition. He eventually published thirty-two novels and was the first American to make a living as a professional novelist."

In summary, I give The Last of the Mohicans 5 out of 5 stars, and I would highly recommend it. If you have any kind of sense of adventure at all, you will enjoy it.

yes, my hair is ALWAYS a hot mess. yes, my Christmas tree is STILL up.

Have you ever read The Last of the Mohicans or anything else by James Fenimore Cooper? Did you know that The Last of the Mohicans is actually the second book in the Leatherstocking Tales which all feature America's favorite fictional hero (one of them anyway), Natty Bumppo? Have any of you read any of the others and would you recommend them? The Last of the Mohicans is obviously the most well-known but if the rest of Cooper's writing is anything like this, I want to read all of it.

A Word for Wednesday

"'Think over your prayers,' he whispered, as they approached him; 'for He to whom you make them knows all tongues; that of the heart as well as those of the mouth.'"

~Hawkeye in The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper~