I went to a Christian Science Sunday School when I was growing up, but by the age of 16 or 17 I had abandoned my religion altogether and had become an atheist.

Eventually I got into drugs, promiscuity, and the occasional opportunistic theft that came out of a sense of dare and thrill. This lifestyle lasted for over 15 years.

During a time when I was living 2,000 miles away from family and friends, I called home one weekend because I was disturbed and depressed about a failed relationship. My mother answered the phone and listened patiently to my woes. Before she hung up, she suggested I get a pen and paper. With no explanation, she told me to write down a phone number and a name. She then explained that I now had the name and number of a Christian Science practitioner and suggested that I call him. Disgruntled, I pushed the paper aside and went on with my miserable life.

That paper sat there unnoticed, working its way to the bottom of the pile of papers for two or three weeks, until one day, out of sheer desperation, I rummaged through the pile, found the paper, and called the practitioner.

My first words to this kind and gentle man were, "I don't know why I am calling you, but my mother gave me your number." His response was to tell me that I didn't need to know why I had called and to encourage me to tell him what was going on in my life.

After talking to him for a few minutes, I made an appointment to meet him at his office a few days later. I walked out of that first meeting with such an overwhelming joy that I smiled from ear to ear for the first time in many, many years. Two weeks or so later, I met with him again, with the same result.

I can't remember all that we talked about during those two meetings, but I do remember that we discussed the fact that God loved me. The other thing I remember was that he asked me for permission to give me treatment in Christian Science. Later I realized that this specific type of prayer for me was what caused a shift in my perception of life and resulted in the wonderful joy I felt.

A few weeks after that second visit with the practitioner, I went to a Wednesday evening testimony meeting at a Church of Christ, Scientist. It was a spiritually uplifting experience for me. To my recollection, the readings were about God's love for us, a message that meant so much to me that I could hardly keep from crying during the service. I remember the last hymn clearly. When I sang the last line that said I was "the loved of Love" (Christian Science Hymnal, No. 232), I broke down and cried. Most of the time, I could believe that I was loved by my parents, brothers, and sisters; and I was starting to believe that I was loved by God. But to think that I was loved by a God who was Love itself was almost too much for me to fathom. That message led me to purchase a copy of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, and to my return to Christian Science.

With my continued years of study and practice of Christian Science, I have not been tempted to return to that lifestyle that proved to be so destructive. I am still learning just how much God does love me. I am the prodigal son who thought he was not worthy of his Father's love. I am grateful that, with the grace of God, I was led home and learned that God never had stopped loving me.

Richard Grove
Toronto, Ontario, Canada