Naked and Unashamed

Genesis records of our first parents, “…and they were naked and unashamed.” Until…that dark moment when sin entered the world, and they suddenly saw, as if for the first time, their own vulnerability in that naked state. Shame, embarrassment and awkwardness marred their peace. And clothes were fashioned from available foliage to stem the exposure. Figuratively, the human race has been playing that card ever since.

I have been thinking a lot about this little phrase, “naked and unashamed” lately because I think there is both a physical and a spiritual quality to it, that is often overlooked.  Have you ever had one of those crazy dreams where you show up at work only to realize you somehow forgot to get dressed and are standing in front of your peers in nothing but underclothing, or worse yet, totally naked? Or you’re giving an important speech and suddenly look down to see that your blouse is gone? Or you’re in church with friends singing hymns of praise, only to realize you didn’t wear any pants? I don’t claim to interpret dreams, nor am I a psychiatrist, but I have a sneaky suspicion that these dreams are about more than mere physical nakedness, because somehow physical nakedness signifies a vulnerability an exposure that leaves us defenseless. Our instinctive fear is that we will be exposed and suddenly feel shame.  That is why the physical nakedness of Eve and Adam in the garden is so significant and beautiful. They were completely defenseless before God and each other, and this did not cause them shame or fear. Instead it filled them with serenity.

Ah, but the fig leaves….once that serenity was marred by sin, the cover-up began. And we continue it to this day. Not with fig leaves, or even cotton and wool, but with hardened emotions, anger instead of fear, bravado instead of concern, blustering confidence instead of honesty, mockery instead of compassion. Because to expose ourselves spiritually and emotionally strikes fear and shame into our hearts. But God has promised us a new heart. A heart of flesh that beats toward Him. And with that new heart comes the ability to be real. To stop hiding from everyone and everything. To feign no more. And to allow our souls the freedom of walking naked and unashamed with our God. For while clothing might be a physical necessity in this life, the fig leaves covering our souls must be swept away by His grace.


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