One Simple Thing Families Can Do to Restore Unity in America

There’s so much talk in the news right now about how we can unite as a country at a time when we’re more divided than ever. Often, we turn to policy to answer this question. But it’s so much bigger than that.

And while the problem is big, I believe it’s actually the little things that we do in our own families that will ultimately lead to the change that will result in the unity of our country.

You have to change culture before you can change policy.

There is one thing at the very top of the list that I want to draw attention to. I firmly believe that if American families committed to doing this one thing, it would significantly aid in bringing peace to the weary soul of our nation.

We are living in a time where hustle is glorified. Where distractions are endless. Somewhere between the time I was growing up to now, as I raise my children, we have become a society that is always trying to keep up.

Maybe it’s the rise of convenience: cell phones, online shopping, apps, ohhhh the apps! — all designed to make our lives easier, but have become tools that have created a false sense of urgency.

How many times have you picked up your phone to make an appointment only to get distracted by a little red notification on your child’s sports app? If you’re like me, you feel that urgency to check to make sure you haven’t missed something. You check the app only to find that it’s the parent group chat discussing the next team meal, which reminds you that you need to contribute.

So you sign up and add a few things to your shopping list. Done. You put your phone down, totally forgetting about why you picked it up in the first place — to make that appointment.

Or how about online shopping and next-day delivery? Don’t get me wrong, it’s saved me more times than I care to admit. However, I have eyes to see how it’s led me to have a real materialistic outlook, too. How many times have I decided that I needed a new dress before that event coming up in a few days, even though I have five perfectly good dresses that I’ve only worn once before?

Text messages, emails, app notifications, and alerts have all inadvertently caused us to become tethered to our phones. This reality of feeling like we must always be available leads to a feeling of pressure to keep up.

Online shopping and next-day delivery have contributed to an increase in materialism and the need for instant gratification.

And then there’s the 24/7 news cycle, YouTube, YouTube shorts, Facebook Reels, and the list goes on. There is no “off” button. Of course, one could argue that it’s up to us to use some self-control. I wholeheartedly agree. And many of us do.

But now more than ever, we’re consuming sound bytes, reels, and shorts that never end. Anyone can post anything. And often, the content I’m seeing is mindless and pointless.

We need to replace reels and shorts with a desire to study, learn, and grow.

We need to replace a culture of hustle with a culture of curiosity.

Replace distraction with purpose.

Replace instant gratification with patience.

Replace pressure with peace.

So how do we do that?

I believe we do it by prioritizing rest in our own families.

We are uniquely designed for rest. Our God made us for rest. God Himself rested, and commands us to do the same.

And even more importantly, he made rest holy (Genesis 2:2–3).

We see many times throughout scripture where Jesus goes away to a private place and rests. In one of my favorite passages, Mark 4:36–41, Jesus departs (with his disciples) from the crowds to rest. Then he performs one of his greatest miracles upon waking up.

In Mark 6:31, Jesus sees that his disciples are weary and encourages them to follow his example and make time to relax and rest.

Maybe you’re wondering how to make rest a priority.

It’s not so much how you do it as your reason behind it. The kind of rest I’m speaking about is the kind that brings you real peace. A pause in your daily grind to refocus your heart, mind, and soul.

God commands rest because rest is good and He only commands that which is good for us.

So, when you are thinking about ways to prioritize rest in your family and in your home, make sure that it’s the kind of rest that makes way for His presence, which will naturally bring you the peace that only He can provide.

I think what you’ll find is that you’ll respond rather than react.

You’ll notice more — the beauty around you, the blessings, the areas in your life that may need attention, or the people in your life who may need more of you.

You will feel gratitude. And you’ll know Who to thank because you’ll know where it came from.

What does that look like for your family? Comment below and tell me how you incorporate rest in your home!

What My 10-Year-Old Taught Me About God's Mercy

In light of the recent tragedies over the past few weeks, there have been lots of conversations happening in our home. Hearts are heavy, and we’re left wondering where to go from here.

Particularly, we’re left wondering what we can do as Catholics, as Christians.

I’ve pondered this question. My husband and I have talked with our children about it. We know the world is broken and full of sin. We’ve discussed how evil can infiltrate hearts and minds over time and through various means.

But it was a question from my youngest that completely opened my eyes to a key aspect of our faith that I had almost forgotten.

He had just come in from playing outside. He plopped down on the couch as I walked around tidying up the house. Conversation surrounding current events had become commonplace over the last few weeks, and they were happening even while I tended to household chores.

I can’t remember what preceded his question now, just the question itself that will forever be etched on my heart.

He looked up at me with his big, blue eyes and asked, “What will happen to the man who killed Charlie Kirk?”

Without hesitation (and to my embarrassment), I replied, “He’s going to Hell.”

See, I had heard talk of authorities pursuing the death penalty. I had seen people I respected calling for the death penalty. I was so hurt by the evil that this man had done that I almost subconsciously went along with the world and assumed his fate.

It was my 10-year-old son’s response that changed my heart and reminded me of what I knew but had so quickly forgotten.

He said, “You don’t know that, Mom.”

I stopped in my tracks. I put the kitchen towel down on the coffee table and sat next to him, asking him to explain.

He went on to tell me how his teacher had shared with him and his classmates a story of two great saints, Maria Goretti and Alessandro Serenelli. He told me how Alessandro had killed the innocent, 11-year-old Maria, but that before she died, she forgave her killer and expressed that she wanted him in Heaven with her forever.

After Maria’s death, Alessandro went on to serve a 30-year sentence. One night, six years into his prison sentence, Maria appeared to Alessandro in a dream. She appeared in a garden, picking 14 white lilies, and handed them to him one by one. This gesture of love and forgiveness was the beginning of Alessandro’s transformation and conversion.

His behavior became so docile, and his transformation was so dramatic, that he was released three years early. Shortly after his release, he sought out and received the forgiveness of Maria’s mother. He eventually joined the Capuchin Franciscans and, as a lay brother, worked as a gardener, porter, and general laborer. He died in the peace of Christ, with the love and admiration of those who knew him, at the Cappuchin convent at Macerata, Italy, on May 6, 1970 (mariagoretti.com).

It wasn’t that I didn’t know the power of repentance and of God’s love and mercy. It wasn’t that I didn’t know that there is hope for all souls who repent and radically reorient their lives to Jesus Christ.

It was that I had been so focused on worldly things that I had forgotten.

But praise God, it was the childlike faith of my fifth-grader that refreshed my soul and fixed my eyes back on Christ and His redeeming love.

It was his teacher who taught a lesson with the love of Christ, which poured into my son’s soul and, therefore, my soul.

It was the Body of Christ at work.

So, it leads me back to my original question: where do we go from here?

My answer?

We pray. We pray like we believe. We pray like we know its power. We pray for the souls of the innocent. And we pray for the souls of the wicked. We pray for conversions.

We love our enemies. We forgive like Jesus did on the cross. And we keep sharing stories of His love and mercy.

“Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied to him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:40–43)

SOURCES

mariagoretti.com