Dropping the leaves for authenticity. 🍃

I still catch myself approaching God like Adam and Eve did in the garden.

You know the story—how, after they sinned, they ran and hid, covering themselves with fig leaves because they were ashamed. They didn’t want God to see them as they were, exposed and broken. So they tried to fix it themselves.

And if I’m honest? That’s how I approach God more often than I’d like to admit.

I come to Him holding my own version of fig leaves—trying to dress up my prayers, trying to sound more “put together” than I really am. I hesitate before laying it all out, before saying the raw, unfiltered truth of what’s going on inside me. I bring Him my rehearsed words, my best version of myself, like He doesn’t already see the whole mess.

But every time I do this, I feel the gentle reminder: He never asked me to cover up.

“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” – Hebrews 4:16

Jesus didn’t die so I could keep hiding. He made a way for me to come boldly—not timidly, not pretending, not filtering my prayers to sound “worthy” of His presence. He already sees it all. He knows when I’m struggling, when I don’t have the words, when my faith feels shaky. And He still says, “Come.”

I don’t have to fix myself before I pray. I don’t have to clean up my emotions before I sit with Him. I don’t have to pretend I’m fine when I’m not.

But still, I struggle. Still, I catch myself bringing my “fig leaves” into prayer, afraid of being fully seen.

And every time, He reminds me: I don’t have to hide anymore.

So if you find yourself hesitating, holding back, feeling like you need to “get it together” before you go to God—don’t. He’s not looking for perfection. He just wants you. The real you.

It’s time I drop the leaves for good. 🍃