When I think about the meaning of Easter, I think of Christ’s words in the Gospel of John: “A new command I give to you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

These are words I live by every day. But sometimes it’s difficult. Especially in a place like DC, where it seems like people aren’t willing to listen to each other or work together to get things done. As your representative, it’s my job to answer Christ’s call in our nation’s Capital.

I rarely find someone who shares my exact views on the important issues facing our nation. That’s the great thing about living in the United States – we are all allowed to have our own opinions. But we do always share at least one thing in common: we love our country and we want to do what is best for the American people. We just have different ideas about how reach our final goal.

Christ’s call for us to love one another means listening to individuals who don’t share our same views. It means looking for common ground and trying to learn something from everyone’s unique experiences and backgrounds.

During this Easter season, I challenge you to have more conversations with people who don’t agree with you. Find out if you have something in common, or if you can learn something new from them. If we all answers Christ’s call to love one another, if we all find ways to work for common goals, we will be able to overcome some of the biggest challenges facing our country.

May God bless you and your family this Easter.

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