Karen Olsen de Figueres was first lady of Costa Rica on two occasions (1953–1958 and 1970–1974). She was also the Costa Rican ambassador to Israel (1982–1984) and was a Congresswoman/National Representative of Costa Rica (1990–1994).

Currently she participates in the activities of the National Liberation Party, which her late husband, President José Figueres Ferrer, founded. Ferrer abolished his country's Army in 1948, when he founded the Second Republic. She is also the president of the foundation that bears the name of her husband and which is dedicated to promoting disarmament, peace, liberty, and sustainable development.

I was always interested in humanity. As a result of this, I came to realize that poverty is something mental. I understood that it wasn't possible to disregard or eliminate poverty simply by saying "This isn't my problem" or "It isn't my responsibility." As a human being, and particularly as a woman, I feel that whatever happens on any corner, near or far, affects me directly and indirectly.

I need to guard my own thoughts in order to be able to help others. We can all serve, instead of waiting to be served. My firm commitment has been, and is, to God and to my neighbor. My years of experience have taught me to look first of all for signs of God's law of good. Without that, I wouldn't have been able to do anything.

God has given me so many wonderful opportunities to serve my people in different posts, for which I will never cease to express profound gratitude. At all times, in private and public life, I have given God credit for my creative and fruitful ideas. I have learned that what we must do in our daily life, in politics, in business, in the community, in the home, is to recognize that ever-active law of God.

The ideals of truth, honesty, solidarity, were the values that led me to participate in the inner workings of the legislature—the Congress of the Republic—and to work arduously to pass the legislation necessary to offer the greatest well-being for the majority of Costa Rica's people. Also, to inculcate in those people who have less, the concept that nothing is impossible to God. God's care and power to heal are always available to everyone. God can save us from the worst danger and from the most difficult crisis. I also work to promote anything that will allow each citizen to awake to a new perception of themselves and of their capabilities, through the concept of a sense of "empowerment," that is, the possibility of seeing their wholesome wishes realized.

I feel the urgent need to promote the idea that it isn't necessary to have a high social position in order to be able to bring about a change. The lady who lives humbly in a rural area and claims that she doesn't have anything to contribute because she doesn't have anything material to give, can understand that by planting vegetables beside her house and planting flowers even in used containers, she becomes a real agent of change. She improves her family's nutrition and transforms the aesthetics of the environment. That person who lives in a poor area and who doesn't have a nickel can enrich their community and their country by the mere act of keeping the sidewalk in front of their house clean and free from garbage and contamination.

As a Representative, my priorities were to always respect and appreciate others; to create and disseminate legislation promotive of justice, morality, and ethics. Parliament is an excellent seedbed for expressing thoughts, for forming attitudes of sincere investigation and learning. The interchange of opinions is fertile ground for the growth and deepening of thoughts and ideas. It is always necessary to give priority to the education of the individual, the family, and our integral relationship. We are part of a whole.

It is important to keep clearly in mind that no one is totally right, be it an individual or a group, and that good results depend on finding a balance. You need to eliminate discordant or out-of-place situations so that God's law adjusts the problem, without the influence of vested interests or destructive thinking.

Political life can't be different from personal life. There is only one Life, and God governs it all. My faith in God is the crux of my life. We shouldn't be concerned about what our neighbor does or thinks of us, only about what we say and do to others in our public or private life. This is what really concerns us. I feel we must open our mind, learn to listen in silence, and pay attention to the inner voice that speaks to us all. We have to find ourselves, through meditation and spiritual devotion.

God definitively guides my career. When my thoughts and actions are motivated by Him, the results are always positive and harmonious. When I accept that God is All-in-all and that "I shall not want" (see Ps., chap. 23), I find harmony, growth, and blessings. Sometimes I don't understand it all at that precise moment, but trusting that my Father-Mother God loves all His children, I see the signs of His omnipresence.

Prayer is our daily sustenance and inspiration. When it is sincere, it brings triumph. Effective prayer isn't a mere petition, but rather primarily an expression of gratitude, which opens the way and converts problems into opportunities for bringing solutions. Prayer helps me to clarify my thoughts. It doesn't matter if it is long or very profound. Often only three words, "Father-Mother God," awaken me instantaneously to the truth that our Father-Mother God is present, and that I can count on His help.

In my life I have seen many examples of God's constant, powerful care, and I am always ready to do His will and not mine.

How marvelous is the challenge—and the opportunity—to be here in the new millennium! The world is advancing toward integration. The power of divine Love will reach the hearts and minds of men, women, and children in the entire world, so we will see "a new heaven and a new earth" (see Rev. 21:1).

Originally printed in the Spanish Herald of Christian Science.