Click here to read the full article at RENEW.org: https://renew.org/its-okay-to-grieve-more-than-one-thing/ 

This is an audio version of a written Article from RENEW.org

I have an engineer friend whose art teacher noticed something peculiar about him in elementary school. When asked to draw a picture of their house, every student drew the front of the house as if looking at it from the street. Except for him—he drew an aerial, blueprint view, mapping out each room as if looking at it from above with no roof.

Different, huh? But also kind of genius.

I wonder if we ought to consider a similar approach when multi-layered tragedies unfold before us on the news.

Take Minnesota’s Twin Cities in recent days. An influx of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and CBP (Customs and Border Protection) agents to carry out deportations in St. Paul and Minneapolis. A church service disrupted because of a pastor’s connections with ICE. A woman protestor and a man protestor shot and killed. A photo of agents detaining a five-year-old boy with a blue bunny hat.

If you’ve read this far, you might be wishing I’d said more in the last paragraph. The five-year-old’s dad had bolted; you’re suggesting they leave an abandoned kid? Or, You should clarify that the deportations are targeting good neighbors, not just violent criminals. Or, You ought to have mentioned that Renee Good and Alex Pretti would still be alive if local law enforcement wouldn’t let Antifa exacerbate the situation. Or, You should have noted that Pretti never pulled his weapon.

And yes, there’s even more to say. And facts 100% matter. But in our rush to guard the narrative from being coopted by the other political side, we often skip a crucial, Christian step. Skipping this step can mean leaving friendships behind in the social media mayhem. Skipping this step makes us screechy and tone deaf.

Listen for more...

Join RENEW.org's Newsletter: https://renew.org/resources/newsletter-sign-up/

Join RENEW.org at one of our upcoming events: https://renew.org/resources/events/

Get our Premium podcast feed featuring all the breakout sessions from the RENEW gathering early. 

https://reallifetheologypodcast.supercast.com/ 

Be sure to like, subscribe and follow on social media! 

You can find us on: