I love that phrase. It makes me giggle. I’ve said it before, and I hear other people say it when they are really stressed out. Are you busy? Yes, I’m covered up!

I can just imagine someone sitting at a desk with the whole surface buried under a mountain of paperwork. Documents in each hand. The corded ’90s office phone desperately clinging to keep its position between the ear and shoulder. A look of pure desperation on their face that clearly says, “Anyone can see just how buried I am right now. Can’t you tell, simply by looking at me? This moment is defining me and I feel it in my core. I’m covered up.”

So what does that have to do with anything? Nothing really. It’s just a funny little thought. I want to talk about head coverings, and I want you to know, “I’m covered up!”

Head coverings in general bring up many questions and lots of speculation. Covered how? Covered when? Covered how much, and covered by what? Does my hair count? I am not Muslim, Amish, or Mennonite, but why do they cover their heads? I had all these questions too.

Maybe you’ve felt a tug in your heart to cover or just wondered why some women do it. Maybe you’ve even prayed about it and decided not to, and that’s ok. I just want to share my experience in case someone is considering and praying about it for themselves.

I was called to cover in early 2023. I can’t say I had any outside influence on this one at all. Although I get a pretty big kick out of the movie For Richer or Poorer and I’ve always admired the Amish, I’d never had a desire to cover my head for Biblical reasons and certainly didn’t think that even applied to me.

Yet, here I was once again reading the Bible to really READ it for myself with no outside influence and see how it applied to me. I felt the Holy Spirit urging me to dig a little deeper on this topic. Please get your Bible and read 1 Corinthians 11:1-15. I’ll wait.

OK, what did you think? A little confused? After reading this passage I was fully convinced that at least while praying, women should have their heads covered. Men uncovered, and women covered. Got it. That made sense. I’ve seen most gentlemen remove their hats when it’s time to pray, haven’t you? But why don’t women grab something and put it over their heads for the exact same reason? I’m honestly not sure. Maybe because the Bible says in verse 15 that a woman’s hair is given to her for a covering. ¹⁵ But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.

More questioning began. For hair to truly be a covering, does it have to be long to qualify? How long? What if you have thin hair? Does it have to be piled up on top of your head? I was still confused. And if hair is a covering, is it only true for women? For men, does hair not qualify because it’s too short? The Bible doesn’t say it qualifies for men, but if it does qualify, why aren’t they removing all of their hair before they pray? You see what I mean? I didn’t know what to do really, but I knew I wanted to do what the Bible told me to do, so I started praying about it.

I’ve had a natural tendency to wear bandanas, headbands, or scarves for years, so I had a lot of options available to begin my experiment. I wanted to give it a try and to keep praying about it. Most of all, I wanted to see if it was something I was truly feeling called to do, or not.

Before I tell you what a disaster it was in the beginning, let me explain the focus of my prayers. I want to be a Biblical woman. I want to be set apart. I want to honor God, and I want to honor my husband. I don’t want to be a Pharisee or be legalistic. I don’t want to do things that make me look “religious” for any kind of status symbol. But…I do want to be set apart. Hmmm…that set apart thing really does kind of dominate this life, doesn’t it?

Bobby pins in hand, I began my trial. It wasn’t easy. I didn’t know how to cover, how much to cover, how to keep the coverings from sliding down, or how to keep them from blowing completely off my head in the Texas wind (true story). It added at least five minutes to my morning routine. I didn’t like it. I was frustrated, I was mad that my husband didn’t have to go through such trouble, and I wanted to give it up. But the Holy Spirit…said no. In fact, during my trial when I got frustrated and left my covering off or pulled it off, something inevitably went wrong. I’d pick a fight with my husband or feel depressed. Things didn’t go right at work. There was just this openness of emotion that felt a little out of control. There was a change that I’d never felt or realized all those years of being uncovered. This was different. So I doubled down on my commitment. I tried it for a month. Every. Day. And despite the obstacles in the beginning, I am still covering today.

Covering brought (eventual) peace, a deeper bond with my husband, and increased obedience to God. I could see covering for what it was, a true blessing.

I believe covering is the right thing for women to do while praying, and I believe you have to decide what honors God, and if you’re married, what honors your husband. I also believe you have pray about what kind of covering is right for you (hair vs. cloth covering, for example). The Holy Spirit could reveal more to me regarding this later but for now, here is what I do:

The Technical: How

• I cover all the time during the day. I have morning prayers, but I also pray throughout the day, so I don’t want to keep adding a covering every time I say a little prayer. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says to pray without ceasing, and I keep a running stream of prayers going throughout the day. I’d never make it otherwise!
• I cover what I feel led to cover, which is basically the crown of my head. The direct top of my head, and a little further back so when my head is bowed, that is covered too.
• I use wide cotton headbands or triangle-shaped coverings with some bobby pins most of the time. I also use hats and bandanas. I use whatever works! Also, it’s important to note that you can still be stylish and covered. It’s ok to be you.

The Spiritual: Why

• I cover in submission to God when I pray. A covered head reminds me to pray often and that I’m directly obeying the Word of God in how I am praying. I feel like I’m offering my best when I’m praying with my head covered.
• I cover to show my husband’s authority over me, as God designed it. When you truly understand this, it will not get your blood boiling, trust me. Even Christ has an authority in this passage, which is the Father. Calm down, Ladies! We can talk about this amazing way of life in another article.
• I cover because it helps me remember that I am set apart.

Ladies, whether you decide to cover or not after reading this, thank you for giving it some time, thought, and prayer. Please know that I don’t look at anyone without a head covering and think, “You’re doing it wrong!” I do it because I was led to do it. Your relationship with God is between you and Him, and only the two of you can work out the details of what you feel led to do, what you are required to do, and whether your choices are acceptable to Him or not. Remember, we all learn, grow, and discern at different times in our walks. Let’s be kind to each other as we all allow the Holy Spirit to draw us nearer to the Father.

Fully immersed in The Scarlet Letters.