Chapter 59—Character Formation
Every Act Influences Character—Every act of life, however
unimportant, has its influence in forming the character. A good charac-
ter is more precious than worldly possessions, and the work of forming
it is the noblest in which men can engage.—
Testimonies for the Church
4:657
(1881).
The Mind Is the Garden, Character the Fruit—Every faculty
in man is a workman that is building for time and for eternity. Day
by day the structure is going up, although the possessor is not aware
of it. It is a building which must stand either as a beacon of warning
because of its deformity or as a structure which God and angels will
admire for its harmony with the Divine Model.
The mental and moral powers which God has given us do not
constitute character. They are talents which we are to improve and
which, if properly improved, will form a right character. A man may
have precious seed in his hand, but that seed is not an orchard. The seed
must be planted before it can become a tree. The mind is the garden;
the character is the fruit. God has given us our faculties to cultivate and
develop. Our own course determines our character. In training these
powers so that they shall harmonize and form a valuable character, we
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have a work which no one but ourselves can do.—
Testimonies for the
Church 4:606
(1881).
A Noble Character Formed by Stern Battles With Self—Christ
has given us no assurance that to attain perfection of character is an
easy matter. A noble, all-around character is not inherited. It does
not come to us by accident. A noble character is earned by individual
effort through the merits and grace of Christ. God gives the talents,
the powers of the mind; we form the character. It is formed by hard,
stern battles with self. Conflict after conflict must be waged against
hereditary tendencies. We shall have to criticize ourselves closely
and allow not one unfavorable trait to remain uncorrected.—
Christ’s
Object Lessons, 331
(1900).
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