As conservative Anabaptists, we grow up 
accepting the head covering as a normal part of life. As we mature and hear some of our friends or family questioning the necessity of wearing it, or maybe we ourselves have questioned it, we hear every argument for it. We know all the right Biblical answers for it. We also know why our home church makes the rules for the size, the shape, and the material for our 
specific church group. We most likely even know why the neighboring church has slightly different rules for their specific covering size, shape, and style.
And if we are honest, we’ll admit that sometimes we get tired of hearing it hammered over and over.
So the thought of writing about the head covering almost fills me with dread. Why add another opinion to the staggering mound of Anabaptist head covering dogmas?
But yet, I believe strongly that this is another area that Anabaptists need reformation in.
Sometimes it seems that we have put the Head Covering issue as the foundation of who we are as a church. If our focus is really on following Christ, our concerns should be for the same things He cared about. Christ did not focus on outward things as much as He addressed the heart. When outward issues were obvious, He addressed the heart issue that was causing the problem.
When Christ transforms the heart, our life choices will reflect that transformation. Do we really believe that?
When a “baby” Christian enters into new life in Christ, we don’t expect them to live perfectly overnight. We all started out like that and then learned to walk uprightly. The Holy Spirit brought conviction and little by little we changed. And we keep on changing– each of us at our own pace and each in specific areas that the Spirit brings conviction in. Do we believe that?
“The head covering is not a salvation issue, but it is an obedience issue.” How many times have we heard that? But yet we make it a salvation issue. It has become the proof of salvation that we require for anyone wishing to join our movement.
If following Christ is really what sets us apart from the world, why do we think it should be our head coverings that set us apart? Have we turned our faith in Christ into faith in our head coverings?
If you don’t think the latter statement is true of yourself, ask yourself whether you think a woman of faith who does not wear a head covering should be allowed to get baptized in your church?
Conservative Anabaptists will not allow that. But then on that same note, would we baptize a newly converted young lady who has a problem of slandering and reviling others on occasion? We most likely would extend a little more grace because she is a young believer. We would give teaching and pray for the Holy Spirit to bring conviction. But we would still baptize her– as long as she at least wore a head covering.
If communion time came and this same young lady still seemed to struggle with slander and gossip, we would most likely still handle it the same way.
But… if she stopped wearing a head covering, everything would change immediately.
Interestingly enough, 1 Corinthian 5:11 says “But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a on no not to eat.”
Hmm… not wearing a head covering isn’t on this list. A railer, on the other hand, is on this list. Strong’s defines a railer as someone who reviles or slanders.
Have we gotten off track?
Just as the Pharisees added to God’s commands concerning Sabbath keeping (Mat. 12, Mark 2) and the washing of hands (Mat. 15, Mark 7), could it be that we have taken our “pet commandment” and elevated it to higher status than what God ever intended?
If Jesus were here among us today, would we Anabaptists be the Pharisees attempting to reprimand and question Jesus’ methods? “What are You thinking, Jesus? Why are You allowing that woman to be so close to You? Can’t You see she doesn’t even have a covering on? Why are You allowing her to get baptized? Why are You allowing your disciples to mingle with these worldly looking people?”
We all know women who have not worn a covering, but yet walked closely with God (Elizabeth Elliot comes to mind). We have a hard time reconciling that with our beliefs. We won’t have anything to do with them in our churches, but we conclude with disapproval that if Jesus wants to associate Himself with them outside of our churches, that’s up to Him.
I believe God wants women to cover their heads when praying or prophesying and men to uncover their heads while praying or prophesying, but I don’t think He ever intended for it to be elevated to the level that we have turned it into.
I think it’s like any other Scripture. It needs to be taught and then we need to allow the Holy Spirit to convict. It can not be forced, or it defeats the purpose.
My next few articles will be on this topic of head coverings. I will be taking a look back at some history regarding the Anabaptist following and elevation of this Biblical directive, as well as some areas we may need repentance and reformation in.
Another Radical Reformation 
Another interesting topic for us. We came to a conviction about headcovering apart from Anabaptism so for a long time my wife was the only woman we knew that covered full-time. Even once we started fellowshipping with various conservative Anabaptist groups it still was an issue because it wasn’t the same as the cap/prayer veiling that everyone else wore. We once had dinner with the pastor of a local congregation and I vividly remembering him looking at my wife’s covering and begrudingly declaring it to be acceptable although he then went out of his way to point out that wedding rings (which we still wore at that time) we of course not allowed. This issue reminds me of modesty in general, there seems to be within conservative Anabaptism a difference between “Anabaptist modesty” which means a certain proscribed dress style and generic modest dress which, while still modest, was different enough to set one apart.
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It’s interesting to me how often I hear stories/testimonies like your own. Anabaptists in general tend to act like we believe that a woman would not wear a head covering if she does not have enough regulations in place to help guide her there. But yet, if you follow the Headcovering Movement, there are many women everywhere that cover just because they read it in Scripture and choose to do it.
I like your point about “Anabaptist modesty” versus just dressing modestly in general. Sometimes it seems we try so hard to have a separated culture that we think modesty that is not exactly like my own is “worldly” modesty (tongue in cheek) 🙂 And you’re right, unfortunately, we do the same thing with head coverings. Head coverings that are not within the prescribed style of the congregation are often not allowed, even if they cover more. It seems some churches view certain head coverings as being more righteous than others.
If you google head covering images, most of head coverings shown are not Anabaptists ones and yet it is easy to see they are worn for religious reasons–not as some fashion statement. Yet, most would not be allowed in our circles because we want to be separate and set apart–even from other Christians.
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“Head coverings that are not within the prescribed style of the congregation are often not allowed, even if they cover more.” I think part of the reason for this is that the veiling was elevated to the special class of ordinances. Once, in a discussion with a fellow Anabaptist about the covering, I noted that 1 Corinthians 11 does not prescribe any specific covering style, but merely teaches that the hair/head should be covered. Based on this, I suggested that it would be appropriate to allow a variety of veiling styles. The response was (quote from memory), “But it’s an ordinance!” The assumption was that since it was an ordinance, the church should regulate its observance in a uniform manner.
On the other hand, a similar stance has been taken regarding clothing, so perhaps the ordinance status is not the cause of the requirement of uniformity, but merely another parallel result from a deeper cause.
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What do you think that deeper cause is?
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It sounds like you love your church, but love your Lord even more than you love your church. That’s a wonderful thing.
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Thanks for taking the time to read and comment!
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Thanks for stopping by again, Dwight. It seems we have a tendency to hold our traditions higher than we do the commandments of God at times, rather like the Pharisees that Jesus was speaking to in Mark 7:7-13.
I agree with your view that the seven ordinances have played a huge part in how we view the head covering. Elevating certain commands higher than others seems to consistently lead to extra-biblical applications.
The stance on clothing seems to have made appearance right about that same time and I’ve wondered about that too. My (working) theory is that in deciding how the covering was to look, it became a social and anti-fashion statement. Locking the fashion of a head covering in a particular time frame tends to lock-in the clothing fashion of that time as well. But along with that, any time that we make rules because of fear of what it might lead to if we don’t, we just keep having to make more and more rules to keep those rules in effect.
If the extra rules about the head covering were put there because we wanted to be sure the woman was doing what she ought (and different conferences gave different reasons), then dress rules were sure to follow. In one conference, (Evangelical Mennonite Conference) the women were told to wear them as a sign of humility. Given that for a reason, it wouldn’t be surprising to see specific clothing rules given with the same reason.
Jane Pederson in Strangers at Home says that we believe our rules promise “salvation of culture, community, and masculine identities through self-denial by women”.
Hmm..
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Thanks for the article. I am currently working through why I do the things I do. I am so tired of the political correctness of my lifestyle and started searching the Bible for myself. One verse that shocked me and I’m still trying to figure out is the verse right after all the head covering instructions…basically Paul says “but hey, if the covering raises contentions then don’t worry about wearing it because we don’t practice the head covering either”. Why in the world was I never taught that verse? And why didn’t Jesus endorse the covering?
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Hi Sharon, Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment.
I assume the verse you’re speaking of is 1Cor. 11:16. In the KJV it says, “But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.” Some of the other translations say it differently.
For example, the NIV reads, “If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice–nor do the churches of God.”
The New Living Translation reads, “But if anyone wants to argue about this, I simply say that we have no other custom than this, and neither do God’s other churches.”
I’m glad you are wanting to search out Scripture for yourself to see what God’s Word really says. You will never grow spiritually without becoming convinced in your own mind by the Word and the Spirit of God. Pray as you search! If what you have been taught aligns with Scripture, then ask God to write it upon your heart. If you find you are believing or have been taught something that contradicts Scripture, then repent and turn from it.
You also asked why Jesus never endorsed the covering. You’ll find many things in the NT that Jesus did not endorse, per se. For example, Jesus never “endorsed” eating pork or other things that were deemed unclean in the OT, but yet we eat because of Peter’s revelation in Acts 10. We don’t require circumcision, yet Jesus never endorsed that either. Jesus never spoke of women dressing modestly, or the different roles of men and women, and yet we accept the apostles’ teaching on this and many other topics. We have to believe the verse in 2Tim. 3:16 “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness”, or else throw out all the writings of all the NT.
Keep seeking God’s Truth!
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GOOD stuff right here. Thanks for following God and writing this article.
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We must take all the verses as they were written. To begin with it says that Christ is the head of man and God is the head of Christ and man is the head of woman and that the man dishonors Christ if he prays with his head covered and the woman dishonors the man, or Christ if she prays with her head uncovered.We have a problem if we don’t care if we dishonor Christ or not, just because we don’t want to wear something on our head, or maybe we’re ashamed to be seen that way. We’d rather fit in with the way the worldly women look.I’m sorry, but I ‘m not ashamed to wear a covering if it means I’m dishonoring Christ by not wearing one.Verse 10 also says the woman ought to have power on her head because of the angels.I definitely feel that if a woman wears her head covered in some way, that God has the angels watching over her.That is providing her heart is in submission to God.I wear mine because I don’t want to dishonor my husband, Christ or God.I don’t really believe that God had Paul write that if He didn’t want him to or to cause a problem.We’re to be obedient to all that God asks us to do, not just pick and choose.
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Thanks for commenting.
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I just have one question….something that has had me wondering for quite some time. And I’m open to anyone’s response to this.
Clara said “I definitely feel that if a woman wears her head covered in some way, that God has the angels watching over her.”
What about an unsaved woman who wears a “covering” on her head? How do the angels know which covered woman to watch over and which not to?
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I think many of us have been taught a warped view of this verse (1Cor. 11:10). The KJV says it like this, “For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.”
The NKJV says it this way, “For the this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.”
Some of us, as Anabaptists, have been taught that women who wear head coverings all the time have some kind of special protection or power of the angels with her. We hear urban legends of women who were “almost raped” but because they wore a covering and refused to take it off, the rapist was not able to carry out his plans. There are other urban legends of motorcycle gang members who tell women never to stop wearing that “thing on their head” because they “will never bother a woman who wears it”..
These beliefs are not Scriptural. To think that wearing a piece of cloth on your head carries some sort of magical power is a good example of this command being elevated and the covering being turned into an idol. Nowhere does this verse say that a woman has extra protection.
So what does “because of the angels” mean? Theologians and Biblical scholars have debated it for centuries. Maybe we will never understand it completely until we get to heaven. But one thing I do know is that it is referring to a woman who is wearing a head covering while she is in the act of praying or prophesying, not just the act of wearing it itself.
The Headcovering Movement has some great articles on it that you might want to check out. Here is a link to one: http://www.headcoveringmovement.com/articles/why-head-coverings-reason-2-angels
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This issue is one I struggle with as well. I believe what you are saying is true, that we have elevated the headcovering to an idolatrous status. But somehow the culture I was raised in is dear to me, and it’s hard to really separate myself emotionally from that, if you know what I mean.
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Sorry, I wasn’t finished with that. 🙂 Anyway, although I intellectually agree that we need to baptize new Christian women whether or not they are wearing a covering, my heart struggles with the idea of my family growing up in a church where not all women are covered. But maybe this is partly because we’ve made too much of it?
I like to cover my head various ways, because I think it puts more emphasis on the covered head, instead of on a specific cultural garb. Sometimes it’s a white veil, sometimes a black one, sometimes a scarf. Some would find this scandalous, but I like doing it this way. I’d enjoy seeing more churches be more open to variety in expression.
I will be eagerly waiting read the rest of your thoughts!
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Hi Rosina,
Thanks for stopping by again and taking the time to comment. I can relate to that feeling of not wanting to separate from our culture- because there are so many good things in it. But then on the other hand, there are things in it our culture that need to be re-aligned with Scripture, even if it pains us to do it. I could start worrying that my daughters might not choose to wear the head covering if we don’t keep all our rules and guidelines in place for it. But if I really believe that teaching them what is in the Word is enough, and that the Holy Spirit must be what draws and convicts them about it, then making extra rules, or trying to force the wearing of it, should not be what we are all about.
God has surely been patient with me in so many areas when I didn’t walk in obedience in all areas as I first began my walk with Him. Who am I to think I have the right to demand that others be instantly perfect in the areas that I choose for them to be in? And that is easy to say, but much harder to live. 🙂
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As a headcovering -used to be Mennonite- woman I found your perspective interesting. However I would be very much interested in knowing exactly what your definition of prophecy is. I can remember sitting through many sermons totally frustrated because one sermon would be
1. you need to wear this when praying or prophesying- I was fine with this because of course thats EXACTLY why I wore it. but then a couple weeks later
2. the spiritual gift of prophesy is means preaching – REALLY ??? then to top it off several weeks later
3. women are not to be preachers – great I have absolutely no intention of doing so – but then why would God say specifically right there that women are to have their head covered when praying AND prophesying ???
I firmly believe that this beating around the bush and avoiding the real issue is the main reason so many of my friends “tossed the lid” as we would say way back in high school. I only read this part of your blog so have no idea of what your brand is so am simply expressing decades of annoyance . But I think if more Mennonite preachers in the past (and current) would openly say ” hey if God has given you prophetic information – wonderful – there are women here who can support you in knowing what to do with it ” there would be a lot more women wearing it and possibly more people like me who would have stayed.
By the way the excuse that many Mennonites use that ” if I wear a covering it will limit my reaching out to people” is not valid.Non-Mennonites I have met have very little respect for someone who wears it who can only say ” I wear it because the church says so”. People respect those who stand firm for what they believe and can give an answer ” this is WHAT I believe and HOW I came to believe it”
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Hi Shirley,
Thanks for commenting. My definition of “prophesying” would probably just be the definition that I find in the Strong’s Concordance. “to foretell events, speak under inspiration, exercise the prophetic office: –prophesy” .
The word “prophesy” that is used in 1 Cor.11:5 is the same word that is used later in chapter 14 that speaks of the spiritual gifts.
I have heard it said that the word “preach” has the same root word as “prophesy”. I am not Greek scholar (or any kind of scholar for that matter), so I couldn’t tell you for sure if there is any truth to that. There are at least five different words for preach listed in the Strongs for NT, so I don’t know which word it has been compared to. If any readers have something to add to this discussion, feel free to.
In Luke 2:36-38, there is mention made of a prophetess that recognized who Jesus was even while He was an infant. How did she know that? Only because she had been given divine inspiration. In verse 38, it then says that she “spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.” To prophesy, one does need to speak.
I have posted links to the Headcovering movement on this blog before. I believe they have a lot of good information. Here is a link to a discussion on some of the same things you were asking about.
http://www.headcoveringmovement.com/articles/how-do-we-harmonize-1-corinthians-11-and-14
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If you look at the stories about prophets, you will get a good idea of what prophecy is. Prophets hear God’s voice and tell others—this is information they could not have known any other way. It can come in the form of dreams, visions, internal voice, audible voice, angel visit, impression of the spirit, etc. It can come out as a sermon, a warning, a prediction, a word of knowledge, an object lesson, or just in what the prophet does with the information. This is true in the Old Testament, the New Testament, and now in the Church Age. The idea that since we have the Bible prophecy has morphed into preaching (explaining what you read in the Bible) has no Biblical basis (probably exercising the gift of teaching would come a lot closer to what preaching is). I believe John Calvin was largely responsible for spreading the idea that prophecy is now preaching. In fact, the Bible indicates that prophecy is today something that all God’s people do, both men and women (Acts 2:17-18). Some people will, however, have an exceptional gift at hearing God’s voice. These are the people today who are the prophets. The book of Acts gives examples of both men and women in this position.
Practically, there’s some really good information on prophecy in I Corinthians 12-14. Briefly, it should fit in with the other gifts (12), it should be done in love (13), it’s of exceptional importance compared to other gifts(14:1), it’s primarily to build up and encourage (14:3), and is very useful for converting unbelievers since it can reveal the secrets of their heart causing them to worship God because God is plainly among us (14:22-25).
Since my wife and I learned this, we have found it’s true. God speaks to us, we can know His voice, and it makes a difference.
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Thanks for commenting, Will. Good information and exposition. I’ll just say, amen!
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Thank you SO – in your preaching or whatever you do – how do you encourage women in the church to use the gift of prophecy ? What type of counsel do you give someone who says ” God showed me xyz is going to happen – what do I do now ?” and I guess what I am most interested in – how many headcovering women do you know either in your church or in your particular brand of church that say God is using them in this way ? Being in the Mennonite church for over 50 years I do not remember anyone who has openly said they experience this and the ones who have either left the church or were never Mennonite to begin with. Its great to know that you believe that it means knowing the future and not just preaching !
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Unfortunately, Shirley, some of our churches don’t like much Holy Spirit teaching or practicing. We don’t like things to get too emotional. But that will have to be a topic for another day..
I have a head covering 18 year old daughter, raised in the Mennonite church, with this gift. 🙂 I’m sure there are others as well, but I think most Mennonites are uncomfortable sharing because of a fear that others would be awkward about it. In the church I attend we have a sharing time that is open to men and women both, but to my knowledge my daughter has only shared things on a personal level with others when she feels God is leading her to speak something to someone. That is her personal choice. However, I think during a sharing time like this, it would be an appropriate time for men and women both to speak what God lays on their heart to share.
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Personally I don’t think comparing gossip to the head covering is a fair comparison In the test of membership. I think a drunkerd or moral purity would be a better comparison. If you start talking about gossip at the same level then you end up really damaging people like I have seen ultra conservative churches doing.
You also sounded like you were saying that we force people to put coverings on. I became a Christian 2 yrs before I began wearing a covering. My parents wouldn’t allow me to wear until it was a conviction. We let our daughter develop her own conviction over 3 yes after her new birth experience. She hasn’t joined church yet, we are waiting till she is ready to make that commitment.
If our churches would do as you propose it would be evident that we didn’t really see the covering as a blessing and something to be passed on.
I have friends who are definitely saved who don’t wear the headship covering. I am fine with that. I also think it’s perfectly fine for us to worship in congregations where we are with those who embrace what we value. I’m sure you have places where you draw the line too.
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That’s great that you allow your daughter to develop her own convictions regarding the covering. That’s a good example of teaching what is in the Bible and allowing the Holy Spirit to bring conviction. Unfortunately, I don’t see this as being how our churches handle it though. I don’t feel like our churches “force people to put coverings on”. They just give people the choice to either wear one or attend another church.
If I understand you right, you feel the comparison of “gossip” to wearing the head covering as a “test of membership” is not a fair comparison because you feel it should be compared to a worse sin, such as a drunkard or a immoral person. (Feel free to correct me if I’m not understanding you right.)
Just a quick correction, the comparison in the article doesn’t mention a “test of membership” but rather baptism and communion. The verse I used (1 Cor. 5:11) lists six specific things, a “railer”, being one of them. According to this verse, God views a railer (someone who reviles or slanders) as being just as bad as being a “drunkard” or a “fornicator”. My point was only that we elevate the importance of wearing a covering as being of greater importance than some specific things God warns against. His word says “with such an one no not to eat”. But we have decided those who don’t wear a covering are worse sinners than some of the things specifically mentioned in this verse.
You say you have friends who are saved who don’t wear the covering and you are fine with that. Would you also be ok with them partaking in Communion with you? Because Communion is for all believers and if we truly believe they are part of the body of Christ, it shouldn’t be withheld.
I addressed some of this in some earlier posts you may wish to check out. https://simonjfry.wordpress.com/2015/09/16/why-we-turn-others-away-from-communion/
and
https://simonjfry.wordpress.com/2015/09/15/who-is-communion-for/
God bless and give you wisdom as you teach and point your children to Him!
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Thank you for your response. and yes I find it quite ironic that a church that proclaims ” we do this BECAUSE of prophecy ” do so much to avoid the actual reality that God gives gifts to those whom he chooses. Its sort of like a person who wears camoflauge clothing -decorates their house in hunting gear but then says ” oh but I dont hunt – I dont want to kill animals “. I would love to correspond with your daughter if nothing else to compare notes ! But I also firmly agree that its wise NOT to share prophetic info publicly UNLESS there is a clear direct command from God to do so. Great to know that I am not the only one out there !!!!! and its wonderful that your daughter has parents who are supportive and recognize her gift ! I would definitely encourage any parent whose son/daughter tells them they have this gift to encourage and listen to them and be a support.
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To Shirley: I agree with you and Simon that prophecy is not encouraged, I don’t think I’ve ever been to a formal church (Anabaptist or other) where I saw people encouraged to share words of prophecy. Where I’ve usually seen this is in a small group setting. I probably have about 20 friends who practice giving and receiving messages from God. These people would be about half men, half women, about 75% believe in headcoverings. Interestingly, the prophetic gifting lies most strongly on the women. I’m often saddened that the Mennonite culture doesn’t provide a place for especially the women to share this gift, I think we’ve missed out in some really big ways. As a result of not encouraging messages from God, the church has defaulted to making decisions based on common sense and fear.
Some further thoughts: Romans 12:6 says to prophesy according to your proportion of faith. I think this means that as a person grows in this gift and becomes more confident of hearing God, he can share it more strongly. Since, I’m not very strong in this gift, I say something like, “I think God is saying. . .” I might not even say it’s from God, since true messages tend to self-authenticate. Others who have a stronger sense of what God is saying can just come out and say, “This is what God is saying. . .”
Regarding someone who thinks God is leading them to do something or other: Of course, it should be checked against the Bible (and not just what the system says). There’s always praying about it and asking for counsel (especially words from God as opposed to common sense or fearful speculation). Ultimately, if the person is convinced that this is what God wants him to do, I believe he should do it. It is better to mess up by trying to follow God even though you’re wrong than by fearfully doing nothing just because you might be wrong. If the person is really trying, God can and will correct them, but He can do very little with the fearful.
I might also add, in my experience, most prophecy is not about the future—it deals with the present. What makes it prophecy is that it’s information from God that you usually could not get another way.
Sorry, my comments have gotten pretty long, and digressed somewhat from the topic of the post, but I felt like Shirley’s questions needed a more extensive answer.
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Thank you Will ! and yes I do agree that its info you can’t get another way. I do have concerns about sharing publicly when it comes to prophecy. Mainly because of the Mennonite culture of ” we all have to be the same” and ” we can’t say anything that would cause conflict” not to mention the family relationships that can be affected as in a family can go home and attack a family member for disgracing them publicly if someone says publicly to the effect ” thou art the man”. and actually I dont think its off topic. How else are we women to be effective in using prophecy -which is the whole point of why women are to wear the veiling/covering. Its great to see a blog that is willing to focus on the real issue of why we are to wear it. and I agree the more that I trusted God in obedience to what he gave me and believed what he said – the more info He gave. Of course there were some years in my 20’s when I basically said ” Go pick on someone else ! I just want to be NORMAL !!! ” and many times I have regretted those years of deliberate disobedience.
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I enjoyed your article and the comments here. Keep up the good work!
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Thanks Joel!
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Oh my goodness! This is so spot on! I came to the covering outside of the anabaptist teachings, but was them blessed and reinforced to continue by finding various teachings by them. I then moved here to a very conservative area (amish/ mennonite) , joined a mennonite church for 10 years and wow…honestly? I then ran as far as I could from it! Cut all my hair off…went back to jeans…got a bunch of tattoos and piercings. Why? I guess just to show that God still loved me even if I didn’t wear the “uniform”. The hypocrisy drove me nuts! Did I go too far? probably and I have since returned to dressing conservatively and wearing a covering…but I am careful to not wear anything that pertains to the anabaptist groups around me! I attend a non-denominational church where I am the only one who covers. I do this to show that it is not cultural…it is not about joining a religion…it is about drawing near to God and finding out what HE would have me do! I also have since prayed for a more forgiving, less judgmental attitude towards my neighbors and I pray for them often. ❤
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