Taking Care by Letting Go

If we are to spread the Gospel message to the world, and if we serve the same Lord and Savior, and if we believe in the same God and His redeeming mercy and grace, then why are we so suspicious of each other? Why are we so hesitant to ignore denominational lines and cooperate in this Great Co-mission we have been given? Why must we feel we need to protect our numbers and make sure differing thoughts and ideas are kept away? Are we not to teach others to think for themselves? Isn't that the pathway to maturity in our lives, both spiritually and secularly? We worry too much about exposure to the wrong that our people are not presented with the full light of the right. Sheltering people, like planting in the shade, doesn't allow full growth, growth strengthened through testing and discernment. As with our children, we cannot totally suppress their curiosity and their natural need to learn from experience. Let them hear opposing voices, and, if we've planted properly, they will produce the desired fruit. There are nutrients out there we don't know about or fully understand.