Overcoming a Troubled Past

By Rod Anderson, CP Cartoonist Wednesday, December 24, 2014

We've all suffered heartache.

Even if we grew up in a loving home, we were raised by imperfect people who made mistakes, no matter how well-intentioned they may have been. So none of us escapes completely unscathed. It's the reality of being born into a fallen world.

That's a truth I know all too well.

I've openly shared about my troubled childhood. If you're not familiar with it, it's enough to explain that my mother died when I was nine years old. My step-dad abandoned me and my siblings within hours of her funeral, and my biological father died of alcoholism. And I was in and out of the foster care system throughout my adolescence.
Sadly, my story isn't all that unique. The challenge we all face is how to overcome the very real wounds of our past. A common approach for many is to hide from them. We open a drawer in our mind, drop the problem into the darkness, and shut it tight, pledging never to look at it again.

The good news is we don't have to devote all of our energy to keeping our pain from bursting into the open and wreaking havoc in our marriage and our kids' lives.