Blog

By Paula Gonzalez

When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, their first instinct was to hide. Realizing their nakedness, they grabbed fig leaves to cover themselves.

I often wonder how much we still resemble them today. While we don’t grab literal fig leaves, we cover ourselves in other ways: striving to look like the “perfect Christian,” afraid that if people knew the real us, they’d reject us.

When Adam said to God, “I was afraid because I was naked, and I hid myself”(Genesis 3:10), his words resonate deeply, echoing in our hearts even now. Fear of being exposed, fear of judgment, fear of rejection—these emotions often drive us to hide behind our own fig leaves.

Instead of risking vulnerability, we reach for modern fig leaves—perfectionism, pretense, and carefully curated images of ourselves—to protect us from the possibility of rejection. But God calls us to something greater: to take off the fig leaves and trust Him.

The truth is, fig leaves only offer a false sense of security. They can never give us what our hearts truly long for: to be fully known and fully loved.

God doesn’t just call us to trust Him with our vulnerabilities; He also calls us to extend that trust to others. Taking off the fig leaves isn’t just about being honest with God—it’s about being honest with one another.

As James 5:16 reminds us: “Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.”

It takes courage to be vulnerable, but healing begins when we stop hiding. When we risk honesty in community, we open the door to deeper connection, understanding, and love.

When we take off our fig leaves and embrace the grace of God, we discover true freedom. And as we experience His grace, our vulnerability becomes an invitation for others to encounter God’s love and healing as well.

God invites us to live in the freedom of being fully known and fully loved. When we stop hiding, we don’t just experience His grace—we reflect it, creating space for others to lay down their fig leaves too.