Words by Te-ErikaWhen 26-year-old Miami resident, Marsha Griffiths met her boyfriend 4 years ago, sparks flew immediately. He was a top salesman at the company she had just joined and they found that they shared plenty of common interests.
Soon she found that they made all kinds of excuses to be together. They would eat at the best restaurants and go on trips, enjoying each other’s company. He was exactly the type of man she had hoped for. He was bright, articulate, successful and single with no children but he wanted a family someday.
The only thing missing was his desire to serve Christ.
“The Lord told me not to get into a relationship with him, but I didn’t listen,” Marsha says. She had spent a lifetime of cultivating a personal relationship with God and consistently desired to be closer to Him. But the desire for a wonderful man in the physical overpowered her desire to be obedient to what she believed God had told her.
When she examined his upbringing she noticed that his Mom was a missionary and his Father was a Minister so she felt that even if he didn’t go to church and outwardly serve God, he at least had the right foundation.
That foundation wasn’t strong enough to hold steady to the ideals presented in the Bible and before she could fight the feelings, their relationship became intimate.
“After we did the horizontal tango I tried to tell him that this wasn’t good for my relationship with Christ but he told me that we could work through this,” Marsha says.
“At that point in my life I wasn’t strong enough to say no. Based on the way we started it that’s how we were throughout the entire relationship- rocky.”
They went back and forth over the next 3 years, breaking up 4 times during that period. When it came to sex, sometimes she’d give in and sometimes she wouldn’t. She invited him to church on several occasions and he attended a few times. It was when he admitted that he had no urgent desire to put God first in his life that Marsha knew she was in trouble.
She told herself that she would continue to pray for him and he’d come around but it never happened.
“I struggled with ending the relationship because he wasn’t a bad person, he just wasn’t right for me,” she says. “You can not have two people in a relationship and one is in a covenant with God and one is not. We were unequally yoked.”
In July of 2006 she finally made the separation permanent as she promised God that she would never again put a man before serving Him.
These days she is happily single and waiting on God to introduce her to her husband. She’s not dealing with guilt or shame or the pressure of trying to pull a man into a relationship with Christ.
“I have faith that God will honor me by giving me a handsome, special man who loves and adores Him,” Marsha says. “What you give up for God, He will replace 100 times more.”
9 comments:
wow this is truly amazing ..i needed to read this and behold it is the answer i have been waiting for.
you go girl!
Don't you just love to be used by GOD.
I know Ms. Griffiths personally and I'm very proud that she has thay type of conviction for the LORD. In life, there are many SACRIFICES that a person has to make in order to achieve their goals. I respect her and her decision exccessivel because I know it had to be extremely difficult!
GOD BLESS YOU MARSHA!
“What you give up for God, He will replace 100 times more.”
Great line! May god continue to be with you!!
Marsha first of all you broke one of Gods commandments no sex before marrage. Pro 3:5
He who is without sin let him cast the first stone. John 8:7
Matthew 7
1"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
3"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
I needed this reading. I am so guilty of something similar. 2 years ago I was on a powerhouse for God, then came this handsome man that swept me off my feet and this relationship has been 2 years of HELL! He has cheated, had another baby with another woman during our relationship, etc., I have finally let him go but it has been a struggle.
Great story! And to judge is so hypocritical! Look how attractive this girl is and I'm sure the picture does her no justice. The enemy knows how to go after God's daughters! Sex may not be an issue for some people, but it is an issue for most of us.
Hey, being attative is not all it's cracked up to be. You take care of yourself and you dress appropriately, but you can't keep a bag over your head and dress in rags! Esther is Esther! So of course men will look and comment. It's up to us to keep them in there place. If he doesn't understand...he's not the one! Now I'm not telling you they won't try, but you keep it "cling-cling!" LOL
Sex is a gift from God for marriage! We have preverted the gift! That's not God's fault. Sex is GREAT! And when married, it is appropriate and blessed by God. Marsha wait until you get under God's covering! You will have annointed sex! LOL!!
Sister, "HE that finds a wife finds favor with God!" God is a God of order...just continue to serve Him and that Boaz is going to notice YOU!!!
The right guy is out there praying for YOU! And best of all, God will honor your obedience!
When you are in love, it becomes even more of a challenge. But have some self worth! Good for Marsha
We as women need to know that we are worth marrying and worth waiting for! And don't befooled, guys love a challenge...that ring will go on your finger so fast! Because if you are faithful to God, that man knows you are the real thing...We need to wait on God so he doens't have to turn around and clean up our mess. Wait on Sarah instead of sleeping with Hagar! Abraham made a hot mess and we are still paying for it!
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