Sold!

By Heidi S. Swinton

Adapted from “The Profound Power of Gratitude,” Ensign, Sept. 2005, 4.

Jesus Christ sacrificed His own life to give us the great gift of the Atonement.

At Easter we remember that our Savior Jesus Christ suffered for us, paid for our sins, died, and was resurrected—a gift we call the Atonement. Through this great gift, the Savior made it possible for us to live again with Heavenly Father and our families.

President Thomas S. Monson explained the gift of the Atonement by telling the story of a young boy who wanted to buy a bicycle.

Every year, the police department of a big city held an auction to sell all the lost or stolen bikes that had been found during the year. One year, almost 100 bikes were being sold. As the auctioneer started the auction, he noticed an 11-year-old boy sitting near the front of the room.

“One dollar!” the boy called out as the first bike went up for bid. But the bidding went much higher, and the bike was sold to someone else. “One dollar,” the boy repeated hopefully each time a bike came up. But each bike was sold for much more money than the boy had. The auctioneer watched as the boy tried over and over to buy a bike.

Finally, just one bike was left. The bidding went to eight dollars. Suddenly the auctioneer spoke up. “Sold to that boy over there for nine dollars!” he said. He took eight dollars from his own pocket and asked the boy for his one dollar.

The boy gave the auctioneer his dollar’s worth of pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. He took his new bike and started to leave. Then he parked his bike, gratefully threw his arms around the auctioneer’s neck, and cried.

Like the boy in the story, we all want something that we cannot get for ourselves. We want to return to live with Heavenly Father and our families. Like the auctioneer who sacrificed his own money to give the boy a bike, Jesus Christ sacrificed His own life to give us the great gift of the Atonement. Because of that gift, we can be resurrected and return to live with Heavenly Father.