My dad and I sometimes went together to the grocery store. I always liked to go with him and help pick out the groceries on the list.

This day I was listening to error—that means wrong thoughts—and when we came by the candy counter I lagged behind. I looked around to see if anyone was watching. Then I took three candy bars and put them in my pocket and caught up with Dad, who seemed not to have noticed that I was not around.

When we got home I helped him carry in the groceries and then went looking for my two brothers. I found them in their bedroom, and I gave them each a candy bar. Then I was bragging about how easy it was to get candy for nothing, when something made me look toward the bedroom door and there stood Dad.

He asked me what I was learning in Christian Science Sunday School. "Did God tell you to take those candy bars?"

I told him of course not.

"Then who told you to do such a thing?"

I told him it was error.

"Oh, so you are listening to error and wrong thoughts. Well, what commandment did you break?"

I told him "'Thou shalt not steal.'" ^{Ex. 20:15.}

"That's right," Dad said and told my brothers to give me back the candy bars. Then he told me to follow him. We went straight back to the store. When we got there I told Dad I did not want to go in, but he said I had to go back to the checker who had checked us out, pay her for the candy, and leave the bars there.

I went, and paid the lady, and she was nice to me, telling me we all make mistakes sometimes. She wanted me to take the candy bars since I had paid for them. I told her I could not. The store manager came over, put his arm around my shoulder, and thanked me for being honest. He walked over to Dad and said they wanted me to have the candy, so Dad said all right.

When we got home I put the candy down on the table and never ate any of it. I went to my room. I was so ashamed that I started to cry. Then I began to think how much better I was feeling since I had paid for that candy. Then I was grateful about how nice those people had been to me. I prayed to my Father-Mother God for forgiveness. I promised myself I would never do anything like that again, and I truly never have.

I am still going to our Christian Science Sunday School, although now I'm a teacher, and the pupils and I are learning about prayer and about what God tells us to do.

What prayer and Christian Science show is that God is all-knowing and all-acting, and what He knows about His children is that we are good and have the right thoughts we need to act on. God's love provides everything. Maybe it's not unusual for people to be tempted to steal or tell lies. But those thoughts aren't true ones from God, so we never have to give in to them.

We can always pray. Mrs. Eddy says in Science and Health, "The habitual struggle to be always good is unceasing prayer." ^{Science and Health, p. 4.} When we pray it's like saying, "God, I do know that You made Your children good and that I can choose the best thoughts and acts."

In our Sunday School we say the Lord's Prayer together, the one Christ Jesus gave his followers. "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors" is one line. ^{Matt. 6:12.} "And Love is reflected in love" ^{Science and Health, p. 17.} is the way Mrs. Eddy gives the spiritual sense of it. When we pray this way, it isn't so hard to behave the best we know how.