Ntonhle Dlamini

but perfect love casts out fear.

1 John 4:18

Lets go to the garden.

They, Adam and Eve, were naked and not ashamed.
Naked here refers to exposure, vulnerability, authenticity.
There was no insecurity or self consciousness.
They were in the garden, together, in the presence of God.

They sin.
And consequently become aware of their nakedness.

Same nakedness as above.

But because of this new guilt and separation from God, shame enters the chat.

Same bodies, same nakedness.
Different belief.
About the same nakedness.

Immediate reaction should’ve been to run to God but pride says let me fix it myself.

With fig leaves, of all things.

Human effort, at best, is futile compared to God who in His wisdom, slaughtered an animal and made an outfit for them.

But, stay with me.

Their immediate reaction is to hide and cover themselves when they heard God walking in the cool of the day.

This is pride.

Pride is comfortable.
Confession is awkward and difficult.

Confession requires admitting you were wrong.
Pride says, the woman YOU gave me made me do it.

Confession begs the question, who the you that you were naked?
Pride says, well, the snake…

But, why did you indulge the snake?

Deep down on the inside of us exists a curiosity.

We want to know what else is out there, beyond God’s boundaries for us.

And until we see the boundaries God placed as love, protection and mercy, we will continue this cycle of I messed up, tried to fix it and made matters worse.

But God never lets the story end in fig leaves.

Thousands of years later, another son wakes up “coming to his senses” Luke 15:17. Same problem Adam had. Nakedness. Hunger. Shame.

Notice his first thought? “I will arise and go to my father” Luke 15:18. Not “I will sew better leaves.” Not “I’ll earn my way back.” Confession > performance.

He rehearses his speech: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy…” Luke 15:21. That’s Genesis 3:9 answered. God asked “Where are you?” Adam hid. Prodigal son says “Here I am. I’m wrong.”

And here’s the Father.

Adam hides → God hunts him down Genesis 3:9 “Where are you?”
Prodigal turns home → Father runs to him Luke 15:20.

Same God. Same love. But now we see it.

The Father doesn’t ask for fig leaves. He kills the fatted calf Luke 15:23 and throws a robe over his son Luke 15:22.

Genesis 3:21: God slaughters animal → clothes Adam
Luke 15:22: Father slaughters calf → robes son

God never accepted fig leaves. He always had a better outfit. Righteousness. Not earned. Given.

So the cycle breaks when we stop sewing and start walking home.

Eden: Naked → Ashamed → Hide → Fig leaves
Prodigal: Naked → Hungry → Confess → Father’s robe
You + Me: Naked → Convicted → Hide/Perform → ?

The Father is still walking in the cool of the day Genesis 3:8. Still asking “Where are you?” Still running Luke 15:20.

The boundaries weren’t to keep you from life. They were to keep life from killing you.

And the love wasn’t absent in Eden. It was slaughtering an animal to cover shame. It was running down a road for a rebellious son.

Stop fixing. Start confessing. The robe is already waiting.

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