The Center Of Our Attention

The Center of Our Attention

A woman dishonors her head if she prays or prophesies without a covering on her head, for this is the same as shaving her head.

1 Corinthians 11:5

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word Amish? Perhaps you think of buggies, large families, and men with long beards. Prayer kapps no doubt also make that list. Have you ever wondered why Amish women wear prayer kapps? The Scripture above gives the reason. Since all of us are supposed to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17, ESV), a woman who loves God never knows when she will wish to pray in private, and running to find a covering would be inconvenient or even impossible. Amish women wear a prayer kapp so they will not be unprepared to pray at any time and so dishonor themselves.

This raises the question, how does our faith in God affect how we dress? I’ve never worn Amish clothes, but the way I dress now is different from the way I dressed before I became a follower of Christ. Years ago I dressed to attract attention and to flaunt my body. Not anymore. Now I try to follow Timothy’s teaching: “I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes” (1 Timothy 2:9).

While we may not choose to dress plainly or wear prayer kapps, the Bible tells us that God is concerned about our outward appearance because it reflects His image. Our dress should not attract attention; it should turn our attention to the One who loves us unconditionally and wants us to reflect Him to the world.

Heavenly Father, I’m often too concerned about how I look and about what others think. May the most outstanding part about my appearance be Your joy flowing through me.