Haunted by the Ghost of Relationships Past | Marriage & Family

[Is Your Sexual Past Haunting Your Marriage?] Also: Navigating Screen Time with Your Kids | [View online] [ChristianityToday.org] [Donate] [Beautiful Word Newsletter] Thursday, January 12, 2017 Haunted by the Ghost of Relationships Past My family watched several versions of A Christmas Carol last month. The first step in Scrooge's "reclamation" is his visit from the Ghost of Christmas Past—a spooky and ethereal presence who leads Scrooge through a painful reliving of Christmases from his boyhood and young-adult years. This tale serves as a fitting metaphor for many marriages: Countless Christian couples are haunted by ghosts of relationships past. The specter of sexual activity with previous partners looms in their bedroom, casting a shadow of pain and regret over their present love. For Christians who were sexually active before marriage (which, studies reveal, are now the majority of Christian young adults), feelings of guilt and shame over past sexual sins may be further heightened by distorted messages they've heard from other Christians that, in essence, [make an idol out of virginity]. In this week's featured [article], Brittany Bergman candidly gives voice to some of the negative impacts her past sexual relationship has had on her marriage and her own well-being. "This is not an easy road to walk, and I still struggle with the pain, sometimes daily," Brittany says. "But I'm slowly healing." For many couples this will certainly be a slow journey, but healing is possible. The specter of the past can be banished through God's grace. [Kelli Trujillo] [Kelli B. Trujillo] Editor, CT Women Featured Article [Can My Marriage Win Over My Past?] After years in an unhealthy sexual relationship, enjoying intimacy in marriage is a daily battle. Brittany Bergman Additional Articles [Your Family: Unplugged] How to manage your kids' screen time Maria Cowell [Confessions of a Controlling Wife] My journey from cheerleader to critic and back again Helen Coronato More from CT Women [Patricia Heaton: My Acting Career Floundered, Then Flourished Because of Faith] [Patricia Heaton: My Acting Career Floundered, Then Flourished Because of Faith] Q+A: The star of 'Everybody Loves Raymond' and 'The Middle' reveals the prayer that changed her life. Rebecca Cusey [The Micro-Premie Dilemma] [The Micro-Premie Dilemma] Does NICU technology change our pro-life obligations? Courtney Reissig Related CT Newsletters [CT Entertainment] Reviews and perspectives on movies, TV, and music. [Sign Up Now] [CT Weekly] Weekly headlines, commentary, and site news. [Sign Up Now] Follow Us [Facebook] [Twitter] [Pinterest] [RSS] [Subscribe to this newsletter] In the Current Issue [January/February] [500 Years After Luther, We Still Feel the Pressure to Be Justified] [Subscriber access only] [Reading the Reformation in 2017] [Pro-Life's Reformation Ripples] [Subscriber access only] [View Full Issue] [Subscribe Now] More from Christianity Today [The Favorite Bible Verses of 88 Nations] Israel and Afghanistan favor the same verse. So do Italy and Saudi Arabia. [The World's Most Outstanding Medical Missionary] Burundi surgeon wins $500,000 prize for service in 2016's hungriest country. [Secular Pro-Lifer Nat Hentoff Showed Me the Holistic Power of Truth] I learned from the late Village Voice columnist that Christians need not fear free speech. Most Popular Articles [Why Are Our Children So Anxious?] Unpacking the reasons behind childhood and adolescent anxiety—and the hope we find in the gospel. ['Get the Girl to Do It'] What 'Hidden Figures' reveals about race, women, and how our sons see our daughters. [Q+A: Inside Edition's Megan Alexander on 'Faith in the Spotlight'] The popular journalist shares about staying true to her faith in the TV news industry. [Marriage & Family Newsletter] Delivered via email to subscribers weekly. [Subscribe] | [Email Preferences] | [Unsubscribe] | [Privacy Policy] | [Advertise] | [Subscribe to CT] You are currently subscribed as: {EMAIL} Copyright ©2017 [ChristianityToday.org], Christianity Today, 465 Gundersen Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved.