In answering the Ask Kati questions, I am trying to stay away from long lists of FAQ's, because I know those can be daunting to try to get through. But I decided to make an exception in addressing the subject of headcovering, because there are a few questions that I get asked a lot, and it seemed a lot simpler to put all those questions and answers in one place. After all, simplicity is the name of the game here ;).
Alright, here we go!
Q: Why do you cover your head?
A: The simplest answer is, I cover because I believe God wants me to. That was my only reason when I started out. The longer I do it, the more I see other reasons to do it, and not all the reasons are blatantly spiritual. One reason I continue to cover my head is it acts as a protest against the hair product industry. Most hair products contain toxic chemicals. Plus, there are more important things than making sure my hair looks good.
Q: What kind of covering do you wear?
A: When I started out, I wore a prayer cap that I had crocheted. Then I progressed to cloth prayer caps that I had sewn. I recently switched to scarves and kerchiefs simply because I wear hearing aids, and it drove me crazy untying and re-tying the cap every time I had to adjust my aids. I would like to try veils once my hair is long enough.
Q: How often do you wear a headcovering?
A: At first I only wore prayer caps to church. After a couple months or so, I began covering my head most of the time. I don't wear a covering when I'm sleeping. The few times I've forgotten to take it off when I laid down for a nap, I had taken it off in my sleep, so I don't bother sleeping in it.
Q: Don't people stare?
A: I got a few stares with the prayer caps, but I got used to it pretty quickly. To be honest, the scarves draw a lot less attention. But people didn't really stare as much as you might think. Most people are pretty self-absorbed.
Q: How do you deal with headcovering issues at work?
A: This question always makes me smile, since it was issues at work that led to my changing direction and going plain! I don't have a one-size-fits-all answer for this one. It all depends on where you work and where God is leading you. In my case, I probably would've been forced to take off the headcovering if I had stayed at my old job, and that was just one symptom of all the moral corruption that was going on there. If you're in a work situation where you're being forced to not wear a covering, odds are that's not the only issue going on there, and I would encourage you to step back and pray about the situation, if that makes sense.
If it's an issue of safety and practicality, I would encourage to choose a headcovering that is conducive to your line of work. For example, let's say you work as a nurse. A prayer cap would not be very practical to wear at work since you'd constantly be having to untie and re-tie it whenever you used your stethoscope.
Q: Got any advice for women considering the discipline of headcovering?
Q: Not overthinking it is a big one! :) I'd encourage you to start small, with a scarf or kerchief. I'd also encourage you to only wear it part time to start with, and let God lead you from there. If you decide it's not for you, or not for you right now, that's more than okay!
