You've all heard the saying, "I just shot up a quick prayer to Heaven". I've been pondering this statement today and as I've been challenged-repeatedly-in my desire to wear a head covering.
I was asked recently WHEN I "need" to wear it, and for the life of me I couldn't answer. I've read countless blogs, booklets, articles, and commentaries on the subject, and there seem to be a few different popular answers. One answer is only at church. One answer is anytime out of the house. One answer is during your normal dressed hours. Some said only when their husbands aren't around (because their husbands dislike them covering). And I even saw a few women who wear a cover virtually 24/7-yes, even sleeping and showering, just removing it to wash their hair.
I had been wearing mine when out of the house, and *usually* at home during my normal dressed times...but some days I wasn't dressed until evening as I can sometimes just get busy...or lazy and forget to change. I tried to remember to put it on in the morning after my husband left for work (mornings are a flurry of activity and I am not disciplined enough to wake up and ready myself for the day before my husband leaves), especially in time for homeschool lessons, but like I said, sometimes getting dressed got away from me. So in being questioned, I realized that I really need to shore up my beliefs on the matter so that I don't mumble or say "I don't know". I want my answer to be filled with love and understanding, not anxiety, defensiveness or confusion.
If you aren't familiar with the passage about head coverings, it is I Corinthians 11:2-16. Obviously my opinion is that it was not merely a cultural instruction and I do indeed think it was meant to obeyed today and throughout history. To sum it up, my reasons for not dismissing it as a cultural/historical issue are as follows:
1) Verse 3 talks about powerful scriptural truths that are NOT cultural, but true for everyone in all times. Christ is the head of man, man is the head of woman, and God is the head of Christ. I think it would be odd to introduce a cultural topic with an eternal truth.
2) Verse 7 says that man is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man. Since man is the glory of God, he should be uncovered, and since woman is the glory of man, she should be covered to humble herself and deflect the glory back to God.
3) Verse 10 talks about covering because of the angels. There is conjecture as to what this means exactly, and I don't know which "theory" to follow, but I do know that angels were not only present in Corinth in Paul's time, they are present worldwide today also. So I understand this to apply to me.
4) In verse 13 he says, "Judge for yourselves"-which many take to mean, "you have the option to decide if this is right or wrong", but he says the same thing in I Corinthians 10:15 and asks if we are not participating in the blood and body of Christ when we are taking communion. Would anyone argue with that? I don't think so. Many of the commentaries I read said that his "judge for yourself" was meant to be rhetorical, like it was obvious that we were to agree with him because what he was saying WAS truth.
5) In verse 16 he says that if anyone disagrees they have no other practice in the other churches, meaning they all follow this command. They don't argue about it, they just do it. Which brings up another quick argument-many people say that if something isn't in the Bible more than once then we should be weary. Why? Is the Bible infallible or not? Paul said no other churches had a problem following this command, so why would it need to be mentioned elsewhere?
So, now onto the "when". Verse 5 says that every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered disgraces her head. I have read before that this passage is only referring to public worship, and so I was interpreting it to mean while a woman was praying or teaching (other women and children...I'll talk about that in another post) in public worship-at church-or out of her house at least. But in trying to define my interpretation, I realize that it doesn't actually say during public worship in the passage. Unless maybe we're missing out on meanings that would be clear to us in Greek. I did research the entire passage in Greek, but I don't recall seeing something that specifically said "at church". So this leads me to believe that anytime we are praying or teaching, including teaching our children, it is appropriate to cover.
I was initially troubled by this thought, and resistant to applying it to myself, because I felt like it would limit my contact with God. I felt like it would be unfair to have to do something to come before God. However, I have since changed my mind. I think it will impact my prayer life in a powerful way. Instead of "shooting up a quick little prayer" here and there, I am encouraged to purpose time to pray and listen. Instead of just quickly praying, "God please help me bite my tongue right now" in a moment of conflict with my husband or children or anybody, I am encouraged to set time aside and pray purposefully for my marriage, my children, my friends, strangers, and my own character. I am investing more because it's not just a quick little exchange. And when I take more time to pray, I am encouraged to act more. Maybe it is realizing that I need to stop what I'm doing and hug my two year old when her attitude is spiralling out of control, giving her grace when I just want to end the situation. Or baking some cookies and writing a note and delivering it to the homeless family I drive by everyday. Or stopping and praying with the stranded family in the store parking lot instead of just shooting up a quick "please help them God". I think it will give me an opportunity to be used, because the lines of communication will be open more between myself and God. A quick little prayer just feels like a voicemail I leave for God. I dial, speak, and hang up. I don't wait to hear His response. I beg or command Him to act. And then I go back to what I was doing.
Another benefit is the desire to be a better manager of my time. I have another reason to rise at an appropriate time in the mornings and begin my service to my family. I want to have time to get dressed and presentable without rushing through the activities that need to be done to start our day. I am also encouraged to read and pray earlier in the day. I am excited to get everyone fed and then sit down to read. Occasionally my oldest children join me and read also. Then we read and pray together when I am finished with my personal reading. I am still working out when I take my head covering off. So far, I've been taking it off in the evening after I read and pray with the kids and put them to bed. I know that my husband enjoys seeing my hair, so I am trying ensure that he gets to. I don't usually pray in bed (because I fall asleep), but I have been keeping a simple bandana under my pillow to cover with if I feel the need sometime during the night.
I wanted to add that although I do see head covering as a command for today, I do not see it as an issue in salvation. I do not think of myself as extra-saved or someone who doesn't cover as unsaved. We are saved by faith alone. Nothing you or I do is going to "buy" salvation. Jesus is the only way. I do see covering as an act of obedience and therefore pleasing God. I do also understand that we are all on different points in our walk with the Lord, and though I have been casually considering covering for probably about 5 years, I didn't start covering until April of this year.
I was asked recently WHEN I "need" to wear it, and for the life of me I couldn't answer. I've read countless blogs, booklets, articles, and commentaries on the subject, and there seem to be a few different popular answers. One answer is only at church. One answer is anytime out of the house. One answer is during your normal dressed hours. Some said only when their husbands aren't around (because their husbands dislike them covering). And I even saw a few women who wear a cover virtually 24/7-yes, even sleeping and showering, just removing it to wash their hair.
I had been wearing mine when out of the house, and *usually* at home during my normal dressed times...but some days I wasn't dressed until evening as I can sometimes just get busy...or lazy and forget to change. I tried to remember to put it on in the morning after my husband left for work (mornings are a flurry of activity and I am not disciplined enough to wake up and ready myself for the day before my husband leaves), especially in time for homeschool lessons, but like I said, sometimes getting dressed got away from me. So in being questioned, I realized that I really need to shore up my beliefs on the matter so that I don't mumble or say "I don't know". I want my answer to be filled with love and understanding, not anxiety, defensiveness or confusion.
If you aren't familiar with the passage about head coverings, it is I Corinthians 11:2-16. Obviously my opinion is that it was not merely a cultural instruction and I do indeed think it was meant to obeyed today and throughout history. To sum it up, my reasons for not dismissing it as a cultural/historical issue are as follows:
1) Verse 3 talks about powerful scriptural truths that are NOT cultural, but true for everyone in all times. Christ is the head of man, man is the head of woman, and God is the head of Christ. I think it would be odd to introduce a cultural topic with an eternal truth.
2) Verse 7 says that man is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man. Since man is the glory of God, he should be uncovered, and since woman is the glory of man, she should be covered to humble herself and deflect the glory back to God.
3) Verse 10 talks about covering because of the angels. There is conjecture as to what this means exactly, and I don't know which "theory" to follow, but I do know that angels were not only present in Corinth in Paul's time, they are present worldwide today also. So I understand this to apply to me.
4) In verse 13 he says, "Judge for yourselves"-which many take to mean, "you have the option to decide if this is right or wrong", but he says the same thing in I Corinthians 10:15 and asks if we are not participating in the blood and body of Christ when we are taking communion. Would anyone argue with that? I don't think so. Many of the commentaries I read said that his "judge for yourself" was meant to be rhetorical, like it was obvious that we were to agree with him because what he was saying WAS truth.
5) In verse 16 he says that if anyone disagrees they have no other practice in the other churches, meaning they all follow this command. They don't argue about it, they just do it. Which brings up another quick argument-many people say that if something isn't in the Bible more than once then we should be weary. Why? Is the Bible infallible or not? Paul said no other churches had a problem following this command, so why would it need to be mentioned elsewhere?
So, now onto the "when". Verse 5 says that every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered disgraces her head. I have read before that this passage is only referring to public worship, and so I was interpreting it to mean while a woman was praying or teaching (other women and children...I'll talk about that in another post) in public worship-at church-or out of her house at least. But in trying to define my interpretation, I realize that it doesn't actually say during public worship in the passage. Unless maybe we're missing out on meanings that would be clear to us in Greek. I did research the entire passage in Greek, but I don't recall seeing something that specifically said "at church". So this leads me to believe that anytime we are praying or teaching, including teaching our children, it is appropriate to cover.
I was initially troubled by this thought, and resistant to applying it to myself, because I felt like it would limit my contact with God. I felt like it would be unfair to have to do something to come before God. However, I have since changed my mind. I think it will impact my prayer life in a powerful way. Instead of "shooting up a quick little prayer" here and there, I am encouraged to purpose time to pray and listen. Instead of just quickly praying, "God please help me bite my tongue right now" in a moment of conflict with my husband or children or anybody, I am encouraged to set time aside and pray purposefully for my marriage, my children, my friends, strangers, and my own character. I am investing more because it's not just a quick little exchange. And when I take more time to pray, I am encouraged to act more. Maybe it is realizing that I need to stop what I'm doing and hug my two year old when her attitude is spiralling out of control, giving her grace when I just want to end the situation. Or baking some cookies and writing a note and delivering it to the homeless family I drive by everyday. Or stopping and praying with the stranded family in the store parking lot instead of just shooting up a quick "please help them God". I think it will give me an opportunity to be used, because the lines of communication will be open more between myself and God. A quick little prayer just feels like a voicemail I leave for God. I dial, speak, and hang up. I don't wait to hear His response. I beg or command Him to act. And then I go back to what I was doing.
Another benefit is the desire to be a better manager of my time. I have another reason to rise at an appropriate time in the mornings and begin my service to my family. I want to have time to get dressed and presentable without rushing through the activities that need to be done to start our day. I am also encouraged to read and pray earlier in the day. I am excited to get everyone fed and then sit down to read. Occasionally my oldest children join me and read also. Then we read and pray together when I am finished with my personal reading. I am still working out when I take my head covering off. So far, I've been taking it off in the evening after I read and pray with the kids and put them to bed. I know that my husband enjoys seeing my hair, so I am trying ensure that he gets to. I don't usually pray in bed (because I fall asleep), but I have been keeping a simple bandana under my pillow to cover with if I feel the need sometime during the night.
I wanted to add that although I do see head covering as a command for today, I do not see it as an issue in salvation. I do not think of myself as extra-saved or someone who doesn't cover as unsaved. We are saved by faith alone. Nothing you or I do is going to "buy" salvation. Jesus is the only way. I do see covering as an act of obedience and therefore pleasing God. I do also understand that we are all on different points in our walk with the Lord, and though I have been casually considering covering for probably about 5 years, I didn't start covering until April of this year.
