5 Be Wise

The Savior told His Apostles, "I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves" (Matthew 10:16). In other words, we should be innocent but not naïve; we should understand the ways of the world without being worldly. This teaching can be applied to materialism.

According to some research, we can avoid developing materialistic attitudes if we are more aware of the selling intent of advertising and marketing.7 That is, if we constantly remind ourselves that the ads we see are just trying to get us to buy stuff, we're less likely to buy into the message that stuff is all-important.

Again, we all need some stuff, and most stuff is neither good nor bad in and of itself. Neither is most advertising—unless it's trying to sell us something harmful or has inappropriate content. But over time the incessant drone of materialism can influence our attitudes and thoughts and cause us to forget the Lord and His commandments, as well as our true selves. So we must be on guard.

These things, these necessities and accessories of life, are constantly before us. But we don't have to let them drown out the voice of the Spirit telling us of a better self, a better way, and a better world.