Signs of the Times, Book 1 - Ellen G. White

with the acts of their daily life, and the character they are forming for
eternity; that beauty of soul, the virtues and graces of a true Christian, are
pearls of inestimable price, before which costly apparel and jewels sink into
insignificance. They should be guarded against pride in their beauty of form
or features. No idle words of praise of these attractions should ever fall upon
their ears. Such seeds, dropped into ready soil of the heart, are speedily
nourished by Satan, and soon spring forth into vigorous growth, bearing the
bitter fruit of vanity, selfishness and folly.
Tell your children how little the Saviour values the vain things of earth;
that he has said: "Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye
shall drink, nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more
than meat, and the body than raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how
they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin, and yet I say unto you that
Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." Thus Christ
exalts natural simplicity above artificial adornment, and counts the flowers
growing in beauty in the valley as more attractive than all the glory of
Solomon upon his throne. The devoted mother will not rob her children of
the time that should be spent in their instruction, to waste it in preparing fine
clothes for them, and in arraying them with garments that would tend to
excite their vanity. She will rather impress upon their minds the fact that
purity of heart and beauty of character are the only ornaments necessary for
them to wear in order to enter the heavenly courts.
Love of the world is one of the leading temptations of youth, and one
that our Saviour repeatedly warned his disciples against. Parents, however,
frequently encourage in their children the desire to seek happiness in
gratifying the outward senses, and in frequenting scenes of gayety and
frivolous amusements. By teaching them to avoid these things, you prepare
them to cherish elevated thoughts, fit them to occupy positions of trust and
importance in this life, and to receive the reward of the faithful in the future
immortal life.
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