The world was perfect.
Undefiled, pure, and clean.
God saw the things he had made and declared them good.
Out of dust, God created man.
Out of His own breath, Adam came to life.
From the rib of the Creator's most prized possession came woman.
God saw that which He had made and declared them "very good".
God loved His people before He had created them.
In intimacy, they wandered the earth together.
The serpent came, bearing nothing but hatred and lies.
She listened first,
and Adam soon after.
In shame, they hid behind the trees.
The Creator they had once loved so freely, now became the object of their fear.
Soon, the Creator would come to earth and bear the tree they hid behind,
leaving no place to run but to Him.
But for now, they sewed.
With every fig leaf strung together, they felt the weight of their nakedness increase.
In desperation, they clothed themselves.
As they heard their Creator calling for them,
the fear they felt caused them to tremble.
"I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid."
"Who told you that you were naked?"
He demanded an answer, though He already knew.
Blame shifted, guilt remained.
Punishment was given, marking the new beginning of an entirely different world.
And then there was something beautiful.
For the first time, God clothed His people.
He took their pitiful attempt at hiding their exposure
and clothed them in the first sacrafice.
The great exchange began in the garden.
In the midst of sorrow,
there was hope.
Even now, as we, His fallen beloved attempt to sew fig leaves to cover our shame,
He offers us the gift of new clothes.
We too were once covered in shame and guilt.
We too once tried to piece together a semblence of perfection.
We too failed.
However, we have a Savior.
We have grace.
Therefore, I must beg the question.
Are you covered in the fig leaves you made yourself?
Or have you turned them over in exchange for the clothes granted to you by our Creator?
Do not be afraid of your exposure, beloved.
Do not hide behind good works.
Let the Creator clothe you in righteousness.
May the One who loves you so fiercely be the one who clothes you so beautifully.
2 Corinthians 5:21 – "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
