labor that is now worse than wasted in following the fashions of the world, were devoted to the cultivation of the minds of the children, to the formation of correct habits, a marked change would be apparent in families. CE 170.1 Not long since I heard a mother say that she liked to see a house fitly constructed, that defects in the arrangement and mismatched wood-work in the finishing annoyed her. I do not condemn nice taste in this respect, but as I listened to her, I regretted that this nicety could not have been brought into her methods of managing her children. These were buildings for whose framing she was responsible; yet their rough, uncourteous ways, their passionate, selfish natures and uncontrolled wills, were painfully apparent to others. Ill- formed characters, mismatched pieces of humanity, indeed they were, yet the mother was blind to it all. The arrangement of her house was of more consequence to her than the symmetry of her children's character. CE 170.2 Cleanliness an…
"Redeeming the time, because the days are evil."
EGW's passage discusses the importance of prioritizing the cultivation of children's minds and character over worldly fashions, which aligns with the idea of redeeming the time and using it wisely, as mentioned in Ephesians 5:16.