Footprints on My Heart
Long before God made me, He had a special plan,
For me to grow up to be all I can be, to do everything I can;
He carried me down life's pathways, making footprints in the sand,
Guiding me on to find someone willing to take me by the hand.
There are footprints on my heart that will never fade away,
Though the waves of time may come crashing in at the end of every day;
Even when I'm lonely, I know I'm never on my own,
Cause you've left your mark upon my heart
Now I'll never walk alone.
He knew I needed someone to help my spirit fly,
To help me walk when he put me down, to help me to get by;
You stepped in to help him, you taught me how to laugh,
Through thick and through thin you have stood by me, giving everything you have.
There are footprints on my heart that will never fade away,
Though the waves of time may come crashing in at the end of every day;
Even when I'm lonely, I know I'm never on my own,
Cause you've left your mark upon my heart
Now I'll never walk alone.
God carried me through the hard times, through each and every year,
But He used your gentle loving hands to wipe away my tears.
Now there're footprints on my heart that will never fade away,
Though the waves of time may come crashing in at the end of every day;
Even when I'm lonely, I know I'm never on my own,
Cause you've left your mark upon my heart
Now I'll never, never walk alone.
Cause you've left your mark upon my heart,
Now I'll never walk alone.
~ Rachel Morton
How much should the rules of religion dictate our physical appearances? There are several ways that religion tends to control our lives, such as the way we dress, vote, view abortion, and use technology. Some religions use clothing to classify people, for example, through the use of a head covering. A head covering, by definition, is a piece of cloth that in some fashion or other covers the hair of a woman. It was a custom back in biblical times for most women to wear a veil of some sort. Some churches continue to carry down the tradition of wearing the head covering at all times. However, women should not be required to wear a religious head covering to worship God because it is not a main focus of the Bible, promotes hypocrisy, and creates inequality.
Neither the Bible nor commentaries have much to say about head coverings in worship. In 1 Corinthians 11, it appears that the head covering was more of a cultural thing, not a matter of importance to one’s salvation. It was not a required part of worship. There is a verse that really sticks out in this chapter after Paul talks about the head covering; he says, “But if anyone wants to be contentious about this (the head covering), we have no other practice – nor do the churches of God” 1 Corinthians 11:16 (NIV). According to the Concordia Self-Study Bible (NIV), “The Greek word for ‘other’ can also mean ‘such’. The word order in Greek suggests the following translation: ‘If anyone…about this, it is not we who have such a practice – nor do the churches of God’” (#). This verse says that Paul is not concerned with whether or not women are wearing the head covering. If Paul believed that wearing a head covering was important for Christian worship, he would have been more clear and specific in what he wrote about it in 1 Corinthians.
One thing that is mentioned more than once in commentaries, according to the website BibleStudyTools.com, is that the Corinthian women during Paul’s time were forgetting their place, and speaking out in church. Clearly, women were forbidden to teach in church services. Paul rebuked the Corinthian women for stepping out of their place; he asked them to use the head covering as a symbol to help them to remember their place in the church. However, according to the NIV translation of the Bible, the woman’s “hair is given to her as a covering” (1 Corinthians 11:15). This leaves us with the distinct impression that for a woman, her hair is not only for her glory, but her covering as well. By keeping her ‘glory’ she also recognizes her place in the church and the home and is therefore, covered. While Paul’s argument may have been appropriate for his time and place, the world has changed drastically since then and we are in a different social atmosphere.
Education is another area for consideration when contemplating what the Bible says about the head covering. Women in biblical times were not educated; they were not considered a ‘whole’ person because they were not educated. Men were educated. So it was perfectly logical that in the early church women did not and should not teach in the church. They could not read and unless they had exceptional memories, they could not retain everything Jesus taught that had been written down. Times have changed and today women have the opportunity to be educated – and most of them are.
While I don’t think the Bible says the head covering is important in worship, there are people that will disagree with this idea. They will say that one should take the whole Bible into consideration, and that what was stated then should still be taken literally today. However, the heart of the Bible is what Jesus taught. The main points he focused on were salvation, love for God and fellow men, and believing in Him, among other teachings. He never mentioned anything about dress or covering or any of the topics that are frequently argued over. We know that Scripture interprets Scripture, therefore, when we analyze the Bible we see that the important issues that God is concerned with are mentioned time and again in multiple places. Other people may argue that the entire Bible is God’s Word. While this is true, the epistles are more guidelines for Godly conduct written by men who lived after Jesus’ time. However, the four Gospels were written by men who were actually in Jesus’ presence and heard His words and teaching. Here Jesus gave us the main points that following Him entails.
While the Bible is the book we rely on as Christians, there are things that we don’t take literally. This is why we should follow what Jesus said, but not follow, for example, the advice that tells us to do physical or mental harm to ourselves. For example, we don’t follow the biblical teaching found in Luke 9:47 (NIV), “If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell.” In fact, research shows that the head covering of biblical times is vastly different than the head covering of today. The covering then covered the whole head, face included, rather than just covering a woman’s hair, so if a woman really wants to follow the Bible literally, she should wear a covering that covers the entire head.
The head covering should also not be a required part of worship because it promotes hypocrisy. The head covering was a symbol of the women’s submission to their authorities. Wearing the head covering promotes hypocrisy because people expect more submission, quietness, seriousness, and patience out of a person wearing a head covering. Women who wear head coverings are held to higher standards, such as knowing the Bible very well, having higher levels of self-control, being the epitomy of contentment, and have a closer relationship with God; but when you look underneath you often find that these women struggle as much or more than any others. Women who wear the covering feel pressure to perform (be flawless, perfect, sinless, and keep up an impeccable image) and that causes them to live double lives. Most of the time, a woman’s true self is different than who she professes to be around other people. The pressure these women face on a daily basis is enough to drive anyone mad. I wore a head covering for years and to most people that signified that I was a submissive and gentle person, who was really spiritual. However, I was not spiritual, gentle, or submissive. I was mad at God and for a long time did not want to be associated with God. Yet, no one could see this because I felt I had to uphold the image that others had of me. Another example of how the head covering promotes hypocrisy can be seen through the experiences of my friend Irene, who left an Amish community, where she was required to wear a head covering, many years ago. Like me, she has been able to be herself now that she put away the covering. Irene changed from a quiet, docile girl into a vibrant, happy woman who loves God and greatly enjoys life today. Many women believe that they have to act purely, perfectly, and without sin in order to uphold the image that has been forced upon them by society. These are just a couple examples of how the head covering forces women to function under a pretend façade.
Furthermore, the wearing of the head covering creates inequality. In the Anabaptist culture, when men see a woman with a head covering, they tend to automatically think she is a woman they can control and she will accept being controlled without a word (while this is the general thought of most of the Anabaptist culture, there are exceptions to the rule). This is generally not true for men and women of today who live in general society. I was part of the culture where this inequality was very much a part of everyday life. For example, I was controlled in all areas of my life, from what I wore to what I was allowed to think, to what I was allowed to believe about God. In addition to being controlled, I was abused, verbally, psychologically, and spiritually, in the name of God. God was used to justify the control and abuse I went through. Another way that the head covering creates inequality is by the questions that end up being raised by people who are not a part of the Anabaptist culture. My foster parents say that when they see someone wearing a head covering they ask, “What cult do these people belong to?” Another common thought I hear a lot is that the Anabaptists get special privileges, such as being exempt from the requirements of general society, for example, dress codes and military obligations, because they wear a head covering and dress differently. This causes many people to feel resentment that the Anabaptists get special privileges.
There are several reasons why women should not be required to wear a head covering. Wearing a head covering is not a main focus of the Bible because it is not one of Jesus’ main teachings. It promotes hypocrisy because women who wear a head covering feel they have to live a double life, and it creates inequality because men feel like they have the license to control women. A woman that does not wear a head covering is allowed to live a life that is honest to herself and this leaves her free to honor God in her own way.
