AM I A MATERIAL GIRL? ma te ri al ism [muh-teer-ee-uh-liz-uhm] noun: 1. preoccupation with or emphasis on material objects, comforts, and considerations, with a disinterest in or rejection of spiritual, intellectual, or cultural values. (www.dictionary.reference.com)... Affluence, prosperity, and ease can be tests in our day equal to or greater in intensity than the persecution and physical hardships endured by the Saints who volunteered to march in Zion s Camp... Now is the time to show that we are watching and preparing to withstand the latterday trials of prosperity and pride, of affluence and ease, and of hard hearts and forgetting the Lord our God. Now is the time to show that we will be true at all times in whatsoever things we are entrusted by our Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son and that we will keep the commandments of God and walk uprightly before Him. - Elder David A. Bednar (BYU-Idaho Education Week Devotional, July 30, 2010) This year as we study the Book of Mormon, we ll be reminded again and again of the pride cycle in which righteousness leads to prosperity, which leads to love of money (pride), which leads to wars and trials, which eventually lead to humility and righteousness. In our efforts to apply the Book of Mormon to our lives, I believe we have a lot to learn from Nephites about stewardship and how to deal with prosperity.
Obedience Leads to an Abundance of Blessings Dean L. Larsen said, The Lord has demonstrated throughout the generations that when the inhabitants of the earth remember him and are obedient... he will bless them not only with spiritual blessings, but with material abundance as well. The scriptures contain many evidences of the Lord s willingness to prosper his people with the riches of the earth when they demonstrate that they will use this abundance prudently, with humility and charity, always acknowledging the source of their blessings. ( The Lord will Prosper the Righteous, October 1992 Conference) Nephi s account shortly after his family split from the Lamanites shows the direct link between obedience and abundance: And we did observe to keep the judgments, and the statutes, and the commandments of the Lord in all things... And the Lord was with us; and we did prosper exceedingly; for we did sow seed, and we did reap again in abundance. And we began to raise flocks, and herds, and animals of every kind. And it came to pass that we began to prosper exceedingly, and to multiply in the land. (2 Nephi 5:10-11,13) The Savior said, I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly. (John 10:10) How do we create abundance? By obedience, by laboring diligently, by keeping the commandments, by not spending all we earn, by storing for future use, by understanding the differences between needs and wants, by not wasting anything, by multiplying and replenishing the earth, by developing our talents and testimonies, by staying out of debt, by teaching the gospel... and by sharing what we have. When we see the abundance in our own lives, the Spirit plants in us a desire to share it with others. We have made covenants in this regard if we ve attended the temple. The Prophet Joseph Smith said, A man filled with the love of God is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world anxious to bless the whole human race. (History of the Church, 4:227) Stewardship and Temptation Too often those most blessed with the earth s resources aren t aware of the important stewardship they have over those earthly goods and perhaps feel
that spending money carefully doesn t apply to them. On occasion, they feel that their blessings have been earned and that their resources are theirs to spend without accountability. There are few people who preach buy less There are few people who preach buy less than you can afford than you can afford. It s quite the opposite in the worldly view. We never hear of movie stars buying modest-sized homes or SAVING their money all too often we get reports of the basketball superstar who squandered his millions on gambling or the famous singer who had to sell one of her several mansions to make ends meet. In their righteous years, Mormon writes that the Nephite people did not wear costly apparel, yet they were neat and comely (Alma 1:27). As prosperity grew, things changed dress being one of them: the people of the church began to wax proud, because of their exceeding riches, and their fine silks, and their fine-twined linen... and they were lifted up in the pride of their eyes, for they began to wear very costly apparel (Alma 4:6). Their change in clothing reveals a change in attitude toward their riches. They grew attached to their money. They became materialistic their material possessions came to matter Are we trying to get more than their spiritual values. They compared themselves with each other; pride grew out of such comparisons. attention or feel superior because of Surely the Lord is not against our possessing some nice things. Doctrine our possessions? and Covenants 59:20 tells us that it pleaseth God that he hath given all these things unto man; for unto this end were they made to be used, with judgment, not to excess, neither by extortion. I love to look at how exquisitely the temples are built as a good example. The church doesn t shun elegance. We don t always need to penny-pinch; we can buy beautiful, good quality items even things that cost a lot of money. But the question is, will we know when to stop? Will our purchase of a new shirt require that we buy matching new shoes as well as a purse and possibly an entire new set of jewelry by the end? Are we trying to get attention or feel superior because
of our possessions? Are we focusing on what is most important or are we becoming material girls? Doctrine and Covenants 104:12 reminds us: For it is expedient that I, the Lord, should make every man accountable, as a steward over earthly blessings... The parables of the unjust steward and the parable of the talents teach us the same thing. Some day we will have to give an accounting of what we did with the natural talents and riches we were given were we good stewards or did we flaunt and waste our money? Do the ideas of temperance, moderation, and prudence live in our hearts? Contentment In a run faster, work harder, buy more type of world, we need to resist the We need to be cured temptation to always be looking for the next thing. We need to be cured of our addiction of our addiction to to consume. Persuasive advertising suggests that consumption will bring contentment. In consume. stark contrast, Sister Julie Beck reminds us, Mothers who know are willing to live on less and consume less of the world s goods in order to spend more time with their children more time eating together, more time working together, more time reading together, more time talking, laughing, singing, and exemplifying (October 2007 Conference). A material girl always looks for her next purchase. She doesn t know that always wanting more is a trap that can destroy us in our search for happiness. The tenth and final commandment hopes to help us be content. We learn Thou shalt not covet because coveting is such a gnawing disease. Lao-Tzu, the Chinese founder of Taoism from the 7 th century, left us these words of wisdom, There is no disaster greater than not being content; There is no misfortune greater than being covetous; Hence in being content, one will always have enough. Why be Frugal? Frugality is a term sometimes believed to belong to those with low income, who live prudently only because they have to. Moreover, frugal living often
isn t considered popular in a society that sells a pair of jeans for $150 and cars that cost as much as an entire house. LDS women know that it is righteous and wise to live within our means, and to focus on the eternal rather than chasing trends. We ve been taught by our careful mothers and by our industrious grandmothers to use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without! We know that acquiring mere stuff isn t what earth life is about. We know how to be content with what we have been given and not always crave more. Frugal living really allows us to be faithful in our stewardship and allows us to bless others. President Marion G. Romney said, Food for the hungry cannot come from empty shelves. Money to assist the needy cannot come from an empty purse. Teaching cannot come from the unlearned, spiritual President Hinckley said, I deplore waste. I deplore extravagance. I value thrift. guidance cannot come from the spiritually weak ( The Celestial Nature of Self-Reliance, Ensign, June 1984). President Hinckley loved the idea of thrift and frugal living. He often spoke about staying out of debt and warned us to carefully spend our money. President Hinckley s words are very clear, I deplore waste. I deplore extravagance. I value thrift. I believe in prudence and conservatism ( Rise to a Larger Vision, Ensign, May 1990). Our Challenge We ve learned that the Lord will bless the righteous. The righteous, then, must understand the principle of stewardship. There are two VITAL attitudes we must have with regard to our money and earthly possessions. Firstly, we must NOT set our hearts upon our riches. We know from the pride cycle what will inevitably come next. Paul told us simply, The love of money is the root of all evil. (1 Timothy 6:10) Secondly, we must not forget the source of our good life. We cannot slip into feeling that our own power and cleverness has earned the wealth we enjoy. After a period of particular prosperity, the Nephites became seriously prideful within only 5 years. Helaman lamented, And thus we can behold
how false, and also the unsteadiness of the hearts of the children of men;... yea, and we may see at the very time when he doth prosper his people... yea, then is the time that they do harden their hearts, and do forget the Lord their God... yea, and this because of their ease, and their exceedingly great prosperity (Helaman 12: 1-2). People who develop a sense of thankfulness are able to reduce the negative effects of the materialism that surrounds them. Modern prophets have also taught that gratitude can transform our lives. President Thomas S. Monson said: We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues. ( An Attitude of Gratitude, Ensign, Feb. 2000) The Lord Himself has promised, He who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more (D&C 78:19). Conclusion In many respects, the real test of a man or woman is her attitude toward earthly possessions. We need to realize that we Brigham Young said, have been blessed abundantly with the resources of this world and that whatever we But my greater have is ultimately the Lord s. It is humbling to think that the Lord has blessed us with fear for [this abundance to see how we will use it. A test of sorts. We ve all heard Brigham Young s famous people] is that quote about riches, but it is worth reviewing again: they cannot stand wealth. The worst fear that I have about this people is that they will get rich in this country, forget God and his people, wax fat, and kick themselves out of the Church and go to hell. This people will stand mobbing, robbing, poverty, and all manner of persecution, and be true. But my greater fear for them is that they cannot stand wealth; and yet they have to be tried with riches, for they will become the richest people on this earth. (Brigham Young: The Man and His Work, 4th ed., p.128-129)
Let us not fail in the test of gold and not allow our prosperity to put us to sleep. Let us ask ourselves, how we are doing with our time, talents and material resources. Are we on track, or have we devoted too much time to the secular, given our talents only to our careers, and used our resources only for self-indulgent pleasures? Let us use our prosperity to bless the lives of other people and to build up the kingdom of God. Then we will be worthy to be called the Lord s people and a true Zion community. Enough Stuff: Five Tips for Tackling Materialism, David A. Edwards, December 2010 Ensign, The Law of Abundance. Franklin D. Richards, April 1971 General Conference The Lord Will Prosper the Righteous, Dean L. Larsen, October 1992 General Conference Mothers Who Know, Julie B. Beck, October 2007 General Conference Overcoming the World, Elder F. Burton Howard, September 1996 Ensign The Celestial Nature of Self-Reliance, President Marion G. Romney, June 1984 Ensign