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Tina and Teddy Campbell have accomplished something that many married couples cannot: they survived infidelity. Three years ago, the “Mary Mary” singer learned that her husband cheated with multiple women—including a close family friend with whom he had an ongoing affair. Much of the drama unfolded on the couple’s We TV reality show, and it was quite ugly. The trust she had in him was shattered. And although both parties agreed to fight for their marriage very early on, it really didn’t seem like the Campbells would survive this crippling blow to their union.
Months after the incident, Tina and her sister, Erica Campbell, stopped by MadameNoire’s midtown office for an interview. I nervously broached the questions I had that were related to Teddy’s indiscretions, but my fear quickly subsided. Tina was an open book. Clearly, she had already “done her work,” as Iyanla would say. She was at peace and the strength that she exuded literally sent chills up my spine and brought a tear to my eye. She believed that God was capable of restoring her marriage. In fact, she was confident that He had already done so. She spoke boldly and flexed her faith in the face of fear and the possibility of failure, knowing good and well that there were plenty of naysayers who said that she was foolish for believing that a cheating man could change his ways. After the interview, I literally asked our video for the uncut footage because I knew that watching it back would help me during days when I faced fear-inducing situations. Yes, she stood that firmly in her beliefs. She clung to God’s promises as if they were a life raft and refused to be shaken. Today, it seems that the couple has witnessed the fulfillment of those very promises and they appear to be happier than ever. Recently, Tina took to Instagram to thank God for her husband’s transformation and to celebrate the progress they’ve made.
I trust him to lead them because he trusts God to lead him. I saw God in action as HE transformed this grown man and I’ll never forget or doubt what I saw and what I continue to see daily. God is amazing and He has blown my mind with this man he blessed me with. He now leads by example because Jesus is his example and his family is honored to follow him.
Many women, including women of the Christian faith, subscribe to notions like “a leopard can’t change its spots” and “once a cheater always a cheater” when it comes to infidelity in relationships. While I certainly understand the logic, couldn’t one argue that this kind of goes against certain Christian principles such as walking by faith instead of by sight and believing that God is capable of turning any situation around? The Internet is filled with stories of both men and women whose marriages were not only able to survive, but also flourish after infidelity—including this account posted by Unveiled Wife from a woman who fell in love with another man two years into her marriage. Of course, that’s not to say that every marriage will survive such a gross betrayal of trust, but simply that it is possible for a cheater to be transformed.
If a friend was believing God to “fix” his or her cheating spouse, would you tell them that they’re delusional? Do you believe that God can change a cheater?
Follow Jazmine on Twitter @JazmineDenise
