Sewing Fig Leaves

“Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.” Ge 3:7 “Above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” Col 3:14

Adam and Eve had it all…the perfection of their environment …the untainted heart and mind of humanity…the objects of God’s affection. They were created and established in perfect love and loved perfectly. Then one day, difficulty and temptation slithered into their lives and before they knew it, they traded Spirit for flesh…perfection for the imperfection…truth for lies…unity for separation and traded love for fig leaves. Previously they were covered in perfect love, love for God, each other and every living thing God made. When the fruit was consumed they removed love and put on their self-made covering. Amazing how fig leaves can separate us from God.

I still find myself some days sewing fig leaves and covering up love. When called to love difficult people I tend to cover myself with excuses of why I don’t have to…sewing fig leaves. When I am called to keep God’s tough commands but only keep most of them…sewing fig leaves. When I choose idleness instead of service, and laziness instead of worship…sewing fig leaves.

We are each called to ‘put on love’ instead of putting on our coverings of entitlement… justification…bitterness…excuses. ‘Putting on love means mustering up a lot of bravery when we don’t feel like it and showing up for the everyday. It means advancing when we feel like retreating. Investing when we feel with withdrawing. Welcoming when worry is so much easier.’ Just Open the Door, Jen Schmidt, p. 137

When we put on love, we are putting on the perfect bond of Christ. Instead of hiding ourselves with fig leaves, we get to hide ourselves in Christ. Instead of creating a barrier of resentment and self-focused love, we get to love through the power of the One who tore the veil of separation. The command will always involve applying love to every situation…with every person…in every moment. We cannot accomplish this without putting on the person of Christ. He is our Bondsman and became our covering once and for all.

So, I pray for each of us today that as we have the privilege to walk in the Spirit, we do not act in the flesh. I pray that we lay down our needle and thread and put on the garment of love that Christ has already sewn with the red thread of His sacrifice.