Stitches of Mercy

When trust first fractured,

God did not turn away.

He walked the garden anyway,

calling names into the dusk

as if love still expected an answer.

Shame learned how to whisper,

“Hide. Cover yourself. Disappear.”

So leaves were sewn in trembling hands,

and silence tried to pass for safety.

But God came near.

Not with thunder.

Not with a pointed finger.

With a question—

soft enough to invite truth:

“Where are you?”

Yes, the ground would ache.

Yes, the story would grow heavy.

Consequences do not vanish

just because mercy arrives.

But neither does mercy retreat

because failure has spoken.

And when the leaves fell short,

God did what grace always does—

he covered what fear could not.

He clothed what shame exposed.

He stayed.

So step out from the shadows.

Let the hiding end.

The light you fear is not cruel;

it is careful.

The same hands that stitched hope

into the first broken morning

are still reaching—

not to shame you,

but to wrap you in something stronger

than your regret.

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About the Author:

Michael Whitworth is the author of over forty books and commentaries exploring the depth and wonder of Scripture. A graduate of Freed-Hardeman University, he preaches for the Newport Avenue Church of Christ in Bend, Oregon. When he isn’t writing, he finds joy in simple things—reading a good book, capturing landscapes through his camera lens, or guzzling coffee (with a jar of M&Ms close by).