Clothed And Covered

The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them. Genesis 3:21, NASB

DO YOU EVER find yourself longing for Eden? Where the well-being of humanity was wrapped up in one concise beautiful plot of land. Where relationships were just as they should be. Where the temperature was perfect, and there was no need to worry about food or clothing.

But that’s where we know it all fell apart. When clothing came on the scene, sewn for our shame, it signaled the unraveling of our perfect relationship with God. As soon as Eve ate the forbidden fruit and gave some to her husband, their eyes were opened. For the first time they saw their nakedness. For the first time they experienced shame. And the Bible tells us they hid. Shame and hiding so often go together. If we find one, we’ll likely find the other.

But then we find God.

Adam and Eve were left vulnerable and exposed, and God covered them, clothed them, cared for them. Many theologians think that in the devastation of the Fall, God made the first animal sacrifice in order to clothe and cover their nakedness and shame. This costly provision for Adam and Eve was our first foreshadowing of humanity’s greater need for a solution to our sin—a need for a Savior.

Fast forwarding to you and me today while we go about our daily lives—fully dressed, coffee in hand, working, organizing, communicating—shame still slithers in the background seeking to overcome us. We feel it here and there, reminding us of our foolish mouths, our stupid mistakes, our terrible regrets.

How do we overcome this lurking shame?

We point to the clothing God sewed from the beginning of time. We point to the death of something innocent to cover our sin. We point to Jesus’ death on the cross, the final sacrifice, which covered all our shame with spotless grace, becoming forever ours to wear.

So when the enemy whispers that we ought to be ashamed of ourselves, that we are unworthy or guilty or that we amount to nothing—we can redirect his accusations to our Savior’s work on the cross. We can agree that those things happened, but they no longer have any bearing over us. They’re nailed to the cross, never to be worn again.

Friend, every single time the enemy points an accusing finger at your chest, point a confident finger toward the cross. You can recite with confidence, “My sin, my issues, my shame—all are on the cross. Jesus paid it all. And as His daughter, I now wear His righteousness and grace.”

We overcome shame with a rugged, splintered shield. We overcome our shame with the Cross.

GRACE REFLECTION: Pray with me, “God, thank You for loving me, so much so that You sacrificed Your Son, so that I no longer carry the weight of sin and shame but experience grace and freedom in You. Amen.”