An Open Letter to Tina Campbell

Some of you may know that I am a HUGE Mary Mary fan.  Becoming a fan of this dynamic duo was not a conscious decision.  One day I just literally found myself looking back over my life with Mary Mary as a backdrop.  I came to realize that in every season of my life, their music has encouraged me and watered my soul.  Some of who I am today, I can attribute to the fact that I was privileged to grow into a woman while watching two god-fearing, beautiful women navigate the entertainment industry. 

Many of you have heard the harsh truth that has the media abuzz: Tina Campbell, one half of Mary Mary, found out that her husband was unfaithful to her after years of wedded bliss.  After being touched by their music for so many years and even passing my love for them on to my young daughter, this is the way that I chose to attempt to return the favor and show my support during Tina’s time of need.  Below, you will find an open letter to Tina Campbell that I hope will bless everyone else as well!

Dear Tina,

I can only imagine what it must feel like to live out your deepest marital fear on a stage before the world.  When I first read the article in Ebony magazine, I was shocked and also worried.  I was worried that the world, which can be so cold, would pour salt in your fresh wounds.  I worried because as a wife, I know how our husbands can hurt us worse than anyone else.  Marriage is a covenant, and any threat of breaking that covenant hurts to the core.  Only a wife who was once scorned can truly know that feeling.

The weeks and months rolled by, and now the cameras of your hit show are documenting your journey to marital healing.  There were many people who supported you, and even some who cried for you.  Unfortunately, there were also some who used your vulnerability for their entertainment.  People discussed and speculated over coffee, lunch, and even drinks about the few details for which you exercised your right to privacy.  People formed opinions that either incriminated you or your husband, and some even had the audacity to tell you that your only choice was to break the covenant that God had brought together.  How you went through your rough season with so many people doing all but lifting you up, I have no idea.  I really wish that there was a way for men and women in the public eye to shield themselves from all of the negative and hurtful words.

Through all of this, you have stood firm on the word of God and fought for your marriage no matter what.  What I want to say to you, Tina, is thank you.  Your selflessness has meant so much to wives who know what it means to fight for your marriage.  I can tell you that while transitioning out of my own rough season (marital, but not infidelity), you were there.  You were raw and transparent to a degree that many don’t have the strength to reach.  Somehow, you channeled strength to me and other women like me through the pages of a magazine and through a television screen.  Suddenly, I wasn’t alone on this island trying to put broken pieces back together.  Suddenly, all of my feelings were validated, and through that validation I found strength to press forward.  I know that I am not alone when I say that watching you go through the fire and come out stronger was a true blessing to so many wives.

Your decision to share your heartbreak with the world was a selfless one, and I honor you for making it.  I’m sure that it would have been much easier to go through it within the privacy of your family – and you had every right to do that.  You chose to offer yourself as a sacrifice and be the image of hurting wives everywhere.  No doubt, your decision has saved lives and marriages all over the world.  Just know that you have a fan who is out here crying every tear with you, and praying for you all the while.  I love you with the love of the Lord!  I may never see you on this side, but one day in the distant future when we have both finished our earthly races, we surely can chat it up in heaven!  Until then, be blessed!

Sincerely,

Whitney 

Food for thought:

Mark 10:9 - Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.

Have an issue/idea that you would like to see in a future post?  Email me at whitney.p.gordon@gmail.com.  It’s confidential!