I bring you greetings!
Earlier this week, I was singing and dancing to one of Mary Mary's hit songs, "Go Get It", and then the deejay on Sirius XM Channel 64 (The Praise Channel) interjected and said that Tina and Teddy Campbell are asking for prayers and fasting of their fans and supporters for 30 days as they deal with
the issue of infidelity in their marriage. That "breaking news" disturbed me greatly that I shouted, "oh no, oh no." I know we are humans, I know we are not perfect, I know we have all fallen short of the glory of God but my goodness we need Christian marriages to succeed as never before. The pundits are stating that Christian marriages are failing at the same rate as that of non-Christians. We know that empirical research indicates that 42% of Christian marriages end in divorce.
Commitment in any thing takes hard work, especially in a marriage. It is written in the Gospel according to Mark 10:6-9:
“But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” (NIV)
Thank God that even though Tina thought about stabbing him and divorcing him (I know exactly how she felt, I have been there), they will seek marriage counseling. I applaud her for this because most of us women would definitely have stabbed him and then go to the attorney's office to seek advice on petitioning the court for a divorce.
Infidelity causes us to turn a blind eye on the sanctification of the union.
As a single Christian woman, this type of news causes me concern. It concerns me because I come across Christian brothers who believe that it is okay to "date and not be committed". They come up with all kinds of excuses as to why they cannot commit or why they believe that it is okay to "date" and then "see where it goes from here". The devil is a lie I declare. I refuse to let the Campbell's situation or these brothers' commitment issues get me discouraged from believing that God has a wonderful and awesome husband for me; one that will be committed to our marriage and family. I believe. I will stay the course.
In the meantime, I pray for healing and forgiveness in the hearts of the Campbells. I pray too for the third party that her heart will be so convicted that she asks for forgiveness. I can tell you from personal experience that it is a death sentence walking around with shame and guilt. BUT GOD.
Psalm 107:1-2 declares, "
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story— those he redeemed from the hand of the foe." (NIV)
Shalom,
Therese from Belize