Since biblical womanhood involves submission to my husband, it makes sense that as part of that, I will obey him. Throughout all the years we have been married, my husband has never asked me to do anything wrong, which has made it very doable for me to submit to him – but I know this is not the case for all marriages.
What if your husband asked you to do something wrong? Or what if you had a serious disagreement with him over something very important to you? Should you obey him?
In this one article, it would be impossible to cover the whole range of different scenarios that might occur! However, I believe we can uncover some general guidelines that could apply to almost any situation. Read more
Name: Rebekah Martinez | Age: 24 | Location: Texas | Date started covering: October 2021
The Unexpected Blessings of Head Covering
When I first began to feel convicted to cover my head, I was a little confused. I had never known anyone who practiced this, and I wasn’t sure if I was understanding correctly. It was at a time in my life when I had been praying for change: for my home to be filled with more joy and peace, for direction, and for my husband to step more into his role as the spiritual leader of our home. I didn’t understand where head covering would fit in with this, but I began researching and trying to understand.
I read 1 Corinthians 11 and it became clear to me.
In fact, I have seen many unexpected blessings in my life since beginning to cover!Read more
Name: Amy Ericson | Age: 41 | Location: Phoenix, Arizona | Date started covering: 2018
1) Introduce yourself to our readers.
My husband and I, both followers of Jesus Christ, were married in 2003 at the age of 23. We lived in Indianapolis until God invited us to live in Abu Dhabi, UAE (United Arab Emirates) in 2008. Our time there ended in 2019 when we then moved to our current city of Phoenix, Arizona. We have three kids – ages 11, 9, and 6 – all of whom we homeschool.
2) Where do you attend church? Tell us a little bit about it. Do others practice head covering there?
We currently attend Grace Church of Peoria, in a suburb of Phoenix. It is four miles from my home and filled with awesome, faithful followers – many of whom are similar to us in how they live and run their homes. I am currently the only woman who wears a head covering at my church. I’ve had one young, single gal ask me about my head covering. I believe, with a little bit of encouragement, she will want to start wearing one as well.
Remarkably, I just found out last Sunday that a new friend at church is considering donning a head covering! She’s been convicted about it and now she’s just getting comfortable with the idea. She was inspired to see me wearing one when they first started attending our church a few months ago.
3) What led you to start covering?
I had not heard a good sermon on 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 before and thought that head covering was just something a certain, super-conservative denomination practiced. At first, I did not associate it with the authority structure that God has laid out in the Bible.Read more
Name: N. Martin | Age: 22 | Location: USA | Date started covering: 03/2021
1) Introduce yourself to our readers.
Throughout my teenage years, I was a bit of a prodigal daughter. I lived for the world and looked for the world to make me happy. By God’s grace, I came back to Jesus when I was 19 years old and dedicated my life to Him when I was 20. I’m now a little more than one year into marriage and love the work God is doing in my life!
2) Where do you attend church? Tell us a little bit about it. Do others practice head covering there?
I attend a non-denominational church. To my knowledge, I am the only one who practices head covering there.
3) What led you to start covering?
I first heard about head covering through an Allen Parr YouTube video titled, “Do Christian Women Have to Wear Head Coverings Today?” I had never heard of Christian head covering before. Immediately after watching the video, I wanted to do a deeper dive into this topic. Within that day, I knew I felt called to it. I was amazed by the idea of a Christian wearing a head covering, and I was surprised that I had never heard 1 Corinthians 11 before. I Googled the subject, read many articles and blog posts, and watched multiple YouTube sermons.
I had a feeling from the Holy Spirit that this was something I wanted to look into for myself, rather than forming my opinion based on this one video. For me, the video was kind of just an introduction.Read more
I began covering in the Fall of 2012, and the journey has been amazing. Where I’m standing now isn’t the same place I started, as I can see when looking back on the past nine years. Head covering has taught me some important life lessons.
And right now, I bet I already know what you’re thinking: I’m about to say that head covering helped me learn to be a more submissive wife. Though that is certainly true (and I will be coming back to that in a moment), there are actually some other ways head covering changed me that aren’t as obvious.
The Less Obvious
To start with, I used to be a little afraid to be different. I didn’t want people to think ill of me. On the contrary, I wanted to impress them with how smart and how pretty I thought I was! I can see now that I was insecure and guided by vanity. Head covering changed all that.
As a result of head covering, I’ve given up on those things. I haven’t given up on trying to look pretty or be smart, but I’ve given up on caring about people thinking that I look pretty or that I’m smart.
I suspect they think I’m a little different, maybe even ignorant and unbalanced, and I’ve arrived at the point where I’m okay with that. I don’t need their approval and I don’t care what they think of me (okay, I actually do still care — just not as much as before). What freedom to let go of the need to live up to other people’s expectations, and to not worry about their opinion of me!Read more
When I first started head covering, I temporarily experienced a bit of tunnel vision. I was still trying to clarify and solidify my beliefs, which necessitated quite a bit of time spent in focused study. I was also trying to understand (and deal with) the different reactions I got. Traversing this unfamiliar ground required extra attention, for a while. Though I was very careful to not allow this new experience to turn into a focal point of obsession, other people may have been concerned that it would.
Nine years later, I’m happy to say that it hasn’t.
Head covering has never been an issue I’ve exalted over more important matters, such as confessing sin, trusting in Christ, and loving and forgiving others, to name a few examples. I’ve always had a clear understanding of its place in my life, and of what level of priority it deserved.
Head Covering Mistakes to Avoid
Sometimes I hear it suggested that those who practice head covering are obsessive, legalistic, ignorant, or unbalanced. I know I don’t fit that caricature and I’m disappointed to be so misrepresented. And yet, I try to be patient. It doesn’t do any good to let false assumptions get under your skin. Being super-sensitive to criticism leads to problems such as bitterness and resentment, and I don’t want to give those things a foothold in my heart. So, I’ve always tried to avoid taking myself too seriously.
I take God seriously, and I take His Word seriously, but I don’t take myself too seriously. This isn’t about me.Read more
If you asked my husband what kind of wife I am, I think he would tell you the same thing he tells me: I’m devoted, loving, kind, and “the best thing that ever happened to me” (his actual words). Yet, submitting to my husband isn’t always easy.
At times, it feels like a blistering tug-of-war between my two selves: the noble, godly side of me and the not-so-noble, selfish side of me. It’s up and down. Sometimes it’s more up and sometimes it’s more down, depending on how I’m doing emotionally at any given time (if I told you that we have eight children and homeschool, that might help you understand). When I find myself in a down moment, or a whole series of down moments, there are certain things I like to tell myself in order to get back on track. I’d like to share what those things are, in the form of five helpful thoughts.
5 TRUTHS I REMIND MYSELF
Helpful Thought #1: Submission isn’t just for wives. If other people are expected to submit, so can I.
We are told to submit to the government (Rom. 13:1-7; 1 Pet. 2:13-17). When has the government ever been perfect? Never. But, we need to submit anyway (unless it involves denying Christ, Acts 5:27-32).
Servants are told to submit to their masters (Eph. 6:5-8; 1 Pet. 2:18-25). Masters (bosses, people in charge) aren’t always nice, but servants (employees) are reminded that when they do their job with a willing heart, as unto the Lord, God will reward them for it.
Children are told to honor and obey their parents (Eph. 6:1-3; Col. 3:20). I’ve never met a perfect parent, nor am I one. Though I certainly encourage honesty with my children, I don’t think it’s always necessary for them to feel that I am “worthy of respect” before they give me the respect that my position deserves. They don’t need to understand all my decisions or agree with them.Read more