Can we learn from the Joshua Tree?

Amy here. I've spent the last few weeks exploring the deserts of southwestern USA. I've seen many cool and interesting things, one of which actually inspired a blog post!

On the southern side of California there is a small National Park called Joshua Tree Park. Right in the middle of the desert, this beautiful park is really worth visiting. It is one of the few places where the Joshua Tree actually grows.

Hence the name, obviously.
Story has it that this tree was named by Mormon missionaries. This tree looked like a person lifting their arms in praise to God, so they named it after the biblical Joshua.

Isn't that a great mental picture? How often have we done the same, open hands, raised arms, to praise or worship?

Now imagine doing the same, but with a tight clenched fist. Not the same peaceful mental picture at all, is it. Go ahead, take your relaxed open hand and clench it. You can almost feel the tension, the anger, rolling up your arm. We just wouldn't do that with our arms up praising God.

Yet how easily we take our open hands, point our hands towards our brothers and sisters in Christ, and clench those fists tight.
There are two kinds of issues we have to be aware of. Some require a fist, so to speak, but so many don't. Do you know the differences?

Closed handed issues - these are the things we must stand firm on. God created the Heavens and the earth. God is trinitarian in being, comprised of the Father, the Son (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit. Christ died on the cross for us, and God raised Him from the dead 3 days later. The things like these that salvation depends on. (These are examples of close-handed issues, not all of them are mentioned).

The rest are called "Open handed issues" - these are the things that people so often disagree on. Arminian or Calvinist? God came for everyone or for the elect? How about, are you are pre-trib rapture, post-trib rapture, or it'll-come-when-it-comes rapture believer? What about infant or adult baptism?

Did you even know that it's okay to have different viewpoints on these things? And that's just a few examples. Brilliant biblical scholars have held vastly different opinions on so many open handed issues.

And guess what? That's okay. More than okay, that's good. If people who have devoted their lives studying these things don't all agree, why should we?

If you don't know where you stand on open handed issues, or didn't even know about them, I urge you to learn. Learn which things you can't disagree on and which you can. Learn from many different sources, so you know not only where you stand, you can understand the opinions others have. Learn.

If you are a leader, be it as a mentor, a small group, large group, or more, you have a bigger responsibility. Teach what things are okay to see differently on. Teach to keep an open mind on the open handed issues. You don't want to teach those that look up to you that your view of an open handed issues is the only right way. You don't want to teach those fists to close.

It's hard to show love with a tight closed fist. When we close up tight on an open handed issue, we show no love, no understanding, no family in Christ. A pastor I see as a smart man defined that attitude perfectly - "all rules, no love". He was talking about Pharisies, and how perfectly that describes anyone who shakes that tight angry fist at a brother or sister over an open handed issue.
An interesting fact about the Joshua Tree, with it's arms stretched up to God. When it dies, those beautiful branches droop down to the ground and whither into a tight ball, and the weight pulls the branch right off the tree. One by one the arms droop and die until the once beautiful tree is a broken split apart stump.

Are we willing to break apart and whither from our brothers and sisters over open handed issues? Would it not be better to keep those hands open on love, reach out and work together, and just see how much we can grow the Kingdom of God that way? Who knows what can happen then, but you'll only know if you keep open on the open handed issues.

It's time to learn. Before we whither too.