"Who... Sells Eternity to Get a Toy?"

Tonight, in our Family Scripture Study, we read and listened to a talk by Elder Dale G. Renlund in which he quoted William Shakespeare:

What win I, if I gain the thing I seek?

A dream, a breath, a froth of fleeting joy.

Who buys a minute’s mirth to wail a week, 

Or sells eternity to get a toy?

Of course, it's completely ludicrous to "sell eternity to get a toy," but it's not all that uncommon for people to at least occasionally be that short-sighted. We mortal beings sometimes lose sight of the eternal blessings that God offers us. It's easier to see the toys right in front of us than the eternity waiting a lifetime away.

Yet, Elder Renlund offered hope:

If we have lost sight of eternity for the sake of a toy, we can choose to repent. Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we have another chance. Metaphorically, we can exchange the toy we so ill-advisedly purchased in the first place and receive again the hope of eternity.

It is, of course, extremely foolish to sell eternity to get a toy, but thankfully, through the mercy of Christ and the power of His Atonement, we can get a refund. If we give up the "toy" and repent quickly enough, we can get the hope of eternity back.

Toys are fun, but they don't last forever. Let us try to be wise enough to hold on to eternity, even if it means having to live without a few fun toys.