I am writing this hard on the heels of watching footage from Butler, Pennsylvania from the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. Probably like you, I have been hungry for accurate information. The footage shows the former President slightly turning his head while speaking, then reacting as a bullet clipped his ear, and then going to the ground while being surrounded by members of the Secret Service. What that footage didn’t show was that one person was killed from a head wound while protectively crouching over members of his family, and two others were critically injured. The person killed was a firefighter and former Fire Chief in his community, and I have subsequently learned he was also a Methodist who attended a sister church in my Annual Conference (that’s denominational speak for a larger grouping of churches based on geography). I’ve also learned that the shooter was a 20-year-old man (a kid to someone as old as me) whose family was as shocked upon learning the news of his involvement as the rest of us.

I have added my prayers to the chorus of those going up for former President Trump, the victims and their families, those in attendance at the rally, law enforcement officers and for the family of the young man who made such a terrible decision. My prayers continue for our nation in the aftermath of this taking of life, and out of concern of all that will come of it. Let me clearly say I have no desire to make any political statements through this forum. I happily cede that territory to others. I do have some thoughts, however, as a pastor in a community that can at times become as polarized as the rest of our country over various issues and political ideologies.

My thoughts go back to a certain Sunday lunch I was having with members of my extended family many years ago. As a college kid, I was in the habit of going to my aunt and uncle’s home for Sunday lunch after church where there would be a gaggle of relatives and friends around the family table. On this particular occasion, one of those at the table started talking about a controversial issue, and how they didn’t understand how a Christian could have a different view than their own. I immediately jumped into the fray telling them that they just met a Christian who was on the other side of it. I couldn’t seem to help myself as I went into debate mode, which generally meant caustic sarcasm for me. It wasn’t very often that I saw my uncle angry, but on this occasion he was. After a minute or two, he stared a hole through me and said two words: “That’s enough.” At first, I was resentful. What had I said that was so wrong? And what was wrong with clearly stating what I thought about any given issue? When my head cooled, I realized that I had disturbed the peace of my uncle’s home in a way of expressing myself that was over-the-top aggressive. It wasn’t about whether I was right or wrong about the issue. It was the fact that I kept the debate going, or tried to, instead of dropping it.

I’ve thought about that moment with my uncle in terms of something that Jesus said in his Sermon on the Mount. Towards the end of what are called “The Beatitudes,” Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9) I’ve been thinking about how that is a pre-meditative action rather than something that is passively true. Jesus is not saying blessed are those who never have a problem with anyone else. He is not saying blessed are those who are Zen and placid about everything that happens. Peacemaking is an action. It is something you choose to do in the midst of conflict. It is not the path of least resistance – not by a long shot. It is also not natural. The natural thing to do in the midst of conflict is to swing back hard, with your fists, with a weapon or with angry words. If someone gives you the middle finger salute in traffic, the natural thing is to give it right back and then some.

The one who makes peace denies themselves the momentary satisfaction and pleasure of giving someone what they deserve. They choose to absorb the anger of the other person and coolly dispel it. When they are in the presence of others in conflict, they enter into the moment not escalating but defusing the situation as best they know how. They keep the peace by choosing to make peace.

In the immediate aftermath of the assassination attempt, there have been calls from both sides of the political aisle to tone down the rhetoric (at least for the moment). There seems to be an epiphany that angry words from political leaders, whoever they may be, can inflame people to the extent of pushing them over the edge into violence. I am not confident that the rhetoric will remain toned down for any appreciable length of time, especially as we get closer to election day. I certainly experience moments of despair when I wonder how widely the spheres of violence will erupt as Americans are pushed further into their respective foxholes. Lord, have mercy.

What do we need at this point in our collective situation? We need God. We need prayers. And we need enough peacemakers sitting at our common table who make their presence known in the midst of the conflict and say to the rest of us, “That’s enough.”

Derek Russell is pastor of the Hillsboro Global Methodist Church. He loves Jesus, family, dogs and football.