I was really thrilled with my boyfriend, and deeply in love. My parents weren’t so thrilled about him. He was older than I was. And there were the drugs; we smoked marijuana and took THC, and then later used harder drugs and alcohol. However, he also had a spiritual leaning and loved nature; I loved that we had those things in common.

Looking back, I can see that my mom was afraid, and that she was worried about me. Unfortunately, at the time, her opposition only made me dig in my heels. Her words of concern about my boyfriend seemed so hypocritical, since she’d taught me that all of God’s children are good because we reflect God’s goodness. So why, I wondered, wasn’t she seeing the good in my boyfriend?

A year later, though, I discovered that my boyfriend was cheating on me, and hiding a shadier character that he indulged when I wasn’t around. Disappointed and heartbroken, I started turning to God, praying for us both. I prayed to know that God gave both of us an irresistible love of good, and that this was the only attraction, since in reality, good is the only power. I began attending the Christian Science Sunday School again and had a wonderful Sunday School teacher in whom I felt comfortable confiding, and who loved and supported me. The cheating stopped, our affections were renewed, but the drug use continued.