She sat and looked at the dress of lace,
A thoughtful look on her dear young face
She gave her heart to Christ last night,
And today her life has been full of light.
Her joy has been full when she thought of His love,
And she wants to obey her Master above.
The dress is lovely. Shall I wear it and go?”
But a voice seemed to whisper, “No! No.”
“Can I not be a Christian and go to a ball.?
If I have Christ must I give up all?”
Like the tinkling of a silver bell.
These words upon her ear now fell;
“I gave My life, My all for thee.
What could’st thou then withhold from Me?”
With her hands on the Word of life she knelt,
And sweetest peace her soul then felt.
She cried from the depth of her pure young heart;
“O! Lord, Thou canst occupy every part,
Into Thy hands I commit my soul,
And ask Thee to take complete control.”
And when she had offered up the prayer,
A song flowed out on the evening air;
A song she had never sung before,
And as she sang it o’er and o’er,
She folded her dress and laid it away;
But she sighed as she thought what her mother would say.
In a moment her mother came into the room,
Arrayed for the ball in a wondrous costume.
“Why, Mary! not dressed? Are you ill my child?”
“I’m not going, mother,” she calmly replied.
“I now belong to my Savior dear.
And I’d rather stay with Jesus here,
For I could not take Him there you know;
To a place like that, He could not go.”
The mother pleaded and talked in vain.
So at last with a look of sorrow and pain,
“Well, Mary, I’ll leave you this time,” she said,
“But such notions as this I’ll soon take from your head.”
“O! God, save my mother,” she cried in despair.
And this she prayed all the evening there.
And God in heaven heard her cry.
He knows if a child just breathes a sigh.
He sent Mary’s word to her mother’s ear,
“I now belong to my Savior dear.”
She tried to drown it in dance and song,
But something told her she was wrong.
She heard the voice so sweet and low,
“I could not take Him there you know.”
With burdened heart she hurries home.
And finds her, daughter in the room.
“O! God save my mother,” she murmurs yet
With accent sweet and low and soft.
-The mother knelt beside her there,
And a cry for mercy was her prayer.
She trusted Jesus with her soul,
And her burden of sin on Him did roll.
He gave the weary soul its rest,
By leaning on His loving breast.
They learn to love Him more and more,
And when the work of day is o’er,
They sit in the evening and talk of His love
And read of the blessings which come from above.
The attraction is gone from the concert and ball,
And Christ become their all in all.