I wrote this to encourage everybody and to rejoice and sing praises that if I can go on and break barriers, then there is hope for anyone. I used to think that in the whole world there couldn't be anyone more scared of life than I. I was scared of my own shadow! The things I have gone on to do—and the fact that I am no longer afraid—are so amazing that it is my joy to tell what a tiny knowledge of Christian Science can do.

If you were born female in a country where women are labeled as second-class citizens, you would know what the word oppression means. I grew up in a culture just like this. Even though I was raised in a "liberated" way, according to my country's standard, I still picked up a sense of limitation and inferiority. Because of this, I entered adulthood feeling like half a person and not at all sure of my own capabilities.

Coming to the West was my first contact with freedom. It was so lovely to walk the streets without being molested or restricted in any way. For an Eastern woman, I gained much confidence, but I remained hesitant about taking the first step, always waiting for permission to do things. I was left thinking that I had achieved all I could and settled down to a loving wife and mother to our two daughters.

At this time I was told about a book called Science and Health. Studying this book, I sensed a revolution beginning within me. I was healed of a critical illness, and I thought this healing was the major event of my life. Little did I know to what a vast extent I was going to be transformed!

As I read the book, I discovered that my capabilities were increasing daily. I was doing things that in times past I would never have dreamed I could do. I also learned that I didn't have to apologize for being born or feel that I had to pay a penalty for being alive. I realized that I wasn't guilty of anything.

I read, "We should relieve our minds from the depressing thought that we have transgressed a material law and must of necessity pay the penalty. Let us reassure ourselves with the law of Love" (Science and Health, p. 384). Reading those lines gave me such a feeling of freedom. Each time I felt a sense of self-reproach or inadequacy, I would state firmly, "I am not guilty." This was an important first step in freeing myself from what felt like a lifelong prison sentence.

The more I studied this book, the more passages from the Bible were illumined for me. One day I read these passages: "For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light" (Ps. 36:9) and "The kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21). These verses made me think about the source of my ability.

The water for a fountain or mountain spring comes from within, not outside. This helped me realize that I didn't have to wait for somebody to inspire me or to help me do things. I had a wellspring of capability—the kingdom of God—within me. I just had to tap into that rich source that had been there ready to burst out all along.

A spring naturally flows out; there is nothing labored or forced about it. I could see that, as God's idea, my ability to express God was also natural and irrepressible. No culture, prejudice, or upbringing could stop me from expressing the joy, assurance, confidence, and wisdom that were part of my God-given nature. The Christ was like the clear-running "water of life" in my consciousness, revitalizing and purifying my mental atmosphere, washing away anxiety, worries, limitations, doubt, and fear of the unknown (see Rev. 22:1). In place of these were divine ideas and inspiration that nothing could suppress. As I began to understand this, it was as though a lid were taken off my being.

At this same time, I was asked to become the librarian of our local Christian Science Reading Room. I had always been bad at mathematics and had not mastered the management of money matters. But I was learning to trust God, so I accepted the appointment.

Very soon I began discovering what potential our Reading Room had. I also discovered to my amazement how much good business sense I had. With others' help, our Reading Room turned into a thriving community affair and began to make a very good profit as well. Now under another librarian's direction, business is still booming.

My own growth and this progress for our Reading Room and community all started with the recognition of the kingdom of God within, where no limitations exist. Like ripples on a pond that spread outward, my efforts to understand—and express—my God-given nature continue to expand my experience and to afford me new opportunities to bless those around me.