When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.  Genesis 3:6-7

Have you ever thought about the fig leaves?  Adam and Eve had to break the leaves off of the fig tree in their attempt to cover their sin.  Their calling had been to take care of the garden.  Yet, after the fall, their first action was to inflict damage on creation. It is true that they had been given the plants for food, but now they were using creation in a way that had not been intended.  Did the snapping of that fig leaf bring the first groans of a creation waiting to be restored?  In a perfect Eden, were trees intended to lose their leaves? Was this cycle part of the curse on the earth? Could this cycle of loss and rebirth that is so much a part of our lives, have been established by God in memory of those first leaves that were broken off as a covering for our sin?

These are musings of possibilities, and should never be treated as anything other than possibilities.  But God did create the cycle of the seasons, and he did give us his created world to teach us spiritual truths.

Jesus said “I am the vine, and my father is the gardener… you are the branches… ”(John 15:1-8)

In reality, the leaves are an expression of the life that is contained in the roots and the branches of the tree. Life courses through the leaves, creating an “artistic expression” of something that cannot be seen. They are beautiful, and valuable; but they are only made to last for a season. When a leaf falls to the ground, we do not despair, because God has written the promise of hope and renewal into his creation.  We are confident that although there will be a season of barren trees, there will also be a season of renewal.  We have seen it, and we no longer need to question it.  I remember this peanuts cartoon, where Linus is mourning the fact that the snow is gone, and he will never see it again.

Linus has no memory of the changing of the seasons.  As a result, he has to accept the word of Charlie Brown on faith.  It is not always easy to accept that which we have not yet experienced.  Jesus understood this aspect of our human nature.  Consider these words he spoke to Thomas:

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”  John 20:29

Peter came to understand this fact, and could later write to the believers that had not witnessed the resurrection:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,  for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.   (1 Peter 1:3-9)

Such confidence as this is ours!

I remain confident of this:

    I will see the goodness of the Lord

    in the land of the living.

 Wait for the Lord;

    be strong and take heart

    and wait for the Lord.  

Psalm 27:13-14