The Covering

It is hot, sticky and the African air is aggravating my asthma. It is one of those days when I could abandon wearing clothes altogether if Adam and Eve hadn't set the stage for Designer animal skins. I was trying to explain Eve's first fashion statement out in the bairro this morning when a visual idea came very natural to me. Teaching Bible stories through three languages can always be...well, let's say...an obstacle course. So using visuals can be quite versatile for understanding these lessons.

This morning took me back about fifty years ago to my backyard in Spokane, Washington. It was a place that kept me captivated for hours surrounded by a neighborhood of pines and lush fruit trees. If I wasn't "digging for China" in the dirt then I was handcrafting lilac leaves into everything imaginable including clothes. I would pull off the stem of one leaf and use it as a "pin" to attach another leaf and then continue on with this pattern. I became pointlessly prolific at it. It was just another way a child could while away their time in frivolous fun. Then came this morning.

I pulled the leaves hanging off the mango tree and skillfully "pinned" them together fashioning a low end copycat of Eve's designer figware. The truth of this temporary covering became obvious to all of us as the women watched in anticipation. Pulled from the source of life, the tree itself, these leaves would quickly dry in the African sun and blow away, leaving "Eve" once again exposed to her shame. A great discussion followed; many sharing their own stories of shame. Praise God for His merciful covering that came not just through the sacrificed animals from the garden but from the sacrifice of His Son that covers us with robes of righteousness and takes away our shame. And praise God that the childish steps in our lives are never wasted in His skillful hands. After all, He's got us covered. :-)