Friday, February 20, 2026

Leaves appear throughout Scripture, though never as random background detail, but as quiet symbols carrying spiritual weight.

An olive leaf signals hope. In Genesis 8, a dove returns to Noah with a fresh olive branch, announcing that the floodwaters have receded and new life is emerging. A fig leaf becomes humanity’s first covering in Eden, representing our instinct to conceal shame. Later, Jesus encounters a fig tree full of leaves but without fruit—a picture of outward appearance without inner substance. Isaiah references oak leaves both as symbols of fading strength and of a stump that still holds holy promise.

Across the Bible, leaves communicate more than botany. Their brightness can represent nourishment, vitality, and blessing. Their fading color can reflect drought, adversity, and decay. Sometimes leaves symbolize grace and flourishing; other times they expose emptiness—religion without transformation, image without fruit.

They tell the story of humanity in both its fallen and redeemed states.

And nowhere is that symbolism more personal than in the Garden of Eden.

In Genesis 3, after Adam and Eve disobeyed God, Scripture tells us their eyes were opened, and they realized they were naked. Their immediate response was not confession. It was concealment. They sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves and hid from God among the trees of the garden.

Shame entered the story, and with it, image management.

That instinct still shapes us today. While we may not be stitching leaves together, we have developed more sophisticated ways to cover ourselves. We curate our social media. We highlight accomplishments. We smile at church. We downplay struggles in our marriages. We avoid conversations about family tension. We present strength while privately feeling overwhelmed.

In many ways, we are still sewing fig leaves.

Image management can feel protective. It helps us control what others see and shields us from vulnerability. Over time, however, something subtle happens: our sense of identity becomes rooted in what we present rather than who we truly are.

This is the tension between imago mei—“my image”—and Imago Dei—“the image of God.”

Imago mei is the identity we construct:

• Who I appear to be
• Who I want others to think I am
• Who I fear I’m not

It is performance-based and fragile, dependent on approval and sustained effort.

By contrast, Imago Dei is the identity we are given. According to Genesis 1:27, humanity was created in the image of God. This means our worth does not originate in achievement, reputation, or presentation. It is rooted in being created, known, and loved by Him.

The story in Genesis does not end with hiding. God moves toward Adam and Eve. He calls out, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9), not because He lacks information, but because He invites relationship. He listens. He speaks. And then He covers them—not with leaves, but with garments of skin. (Genesis 3:21) Even in the aftermath of sin, He provides care.

This pattern reveals something essential about God’s character: He moves toward people in their brokenness. He is not surprised by weakness or intimidated by failure. He addresses sin truthfully, but He also responds with mercy.

Freedom begins when we shift from managing our image to embracing His design.

When identity is grounded in Imago Dei, we no longer need to exhaust ourselves maintaining appearances. We can acknowledge struggle without losing worth, admit weakness without forfeiting love, and be fully known by God, trusting that His grace is sufficient.

The movement from fig leaves to freedom is the movement from hiding to being known.

God remains the author of your story—not your filters, not your failures, not your public persona.

In Christ, your identity is already secure. You are seen, loved, and in Him, you are free!

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