Hello my friend, I'm just writing because I wouldn't like to cause trouble in your mind by leaving you the possibility to think I do not wear a covering out of stubborness to believe what is in the Bible. On the contrary, I love the Bible, and more than anything, I wish to always do and be what God wants.
The reason I do not wear one is this: in First Corinthians 11:13-16 it says:
"Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered? Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering. But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God."
My hair is a suitable covering that I ought to wear according to this passage. That is why I do not cut my hair short, or shave my head. God gave it to me to be a covering and a glory. I wouldn't want to shame my husband (or myself) by not wearing my God given covering. God doesn't say it is wrong to wear a cloth over our heads either. So if someone does wear a head covering of any kind, out of respect for her husband's wishes, that is the right thing for her to do. God himself wants her to wear it.
Also, in these verses, God tells me to do what my husband wants me to do:
"The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband..."
1 Corinthians 7:4-5
"Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing." "Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself and the wife see that she reverence her husband."
Ephesians 5:22-24 & 33 (I made those two words bold, so they wouldn't be missed)
To submit is to "accept or yield to a superior force or to the authority or will of another person."
Reverence is "deep respect for someone or something. To treat with deep respect."
Words that are synonymous with reverence are: adoration, admiration, awe, deference, esteem, loyalty, respect, and approval.
I am told in the Bible hundreds of times to be happy... rejoice in the Lord, be glad, be ye thankful, to name a few. So as a wife, I am to happily do what God has given me to do. To happily follow my husband's leading, even if it makes me look wrong to a lot of people. To never, ever disrespect him, to admire his opinion and his whole way of life and to esteem it to be a very good one. To adore him and to keep his home as best I can. To love our children.
In our area, many people wear clothing and headcoverings to set themselves apart from the world. My husband sees that many, not all, are wearing such to fit in with their peers, and in an attempt to appease God's anger toward their sin, in place of belief in his substitution for our sins. It seems that the outward appearance is more important than belief in Christ. "...for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart."
Andrew does not want me to look anything like a person who does this, as it makes him sick to see the salvation of God set as a piece of how I get to heaven rather than the only way.
He says my hair is my covering, and I believe it is.
Here's a quote from a message I sent him before we were even engaged: "So what are your thoughts on how girls should dress? Should they wear head coverings? And in case you're wondering...you can't offended me here! Right now I please my Dad in all of the above. If I get married, then I will please my husband. (Even if he thinks I should dress like a Muslim, or wear a plastic bag for a cap)."
His reply was: "Well I'm sick of these little bitty cloth patches people pin on the peak of their head and call it a head covering and say they believe you should wear a head covering. So I say get one that covers your entire head...if you want to wear a cloth to cover your head. But for me the hair will do! Now if she shaved her head or cut her hair super short I might make her wear a wig or a cloth so I'm not embarrassed!!!" I've asked him a few more times through these last years, to make sure he still would rather me just use my hair for a covering, and he very strongly assured me that he did not want me to wear cloth over my hair.
So, between my husband's leadership, and the Bible saying that "her hair is given her for a covering", and that the churches of God and the Apostle Paul had no such custom, I have chosen not to wear a cloth over my hair. I want to do God's will so much that I WILL DO IT, even if it means I look very different than many of my friends. I am happy to do it! I honestly would wear a plastic bag if Andrew wanted me to. He is my leader.
With love, Hannah
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