Coming to grips that an icon of one’s childhood was, in fact, a pervert is difficult and disappointing.

Comedian Bill Cosby was a star of my childhood, one most of the public thought to be a wholesome, role model.

Although his career started well before my birth, Cosby was pretty much at every turn of my life in some form or fashion.

Among my earliest Saturday morning cartoon memories is of hearing Cosby’s voice as the main character of the cartoon he created, “Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids.”

Despite what would now probably be considered a non-politically correct title, the show ran for more than a dozen years.

Before “Fat Albert” retired, Cosby followed that with another hit, “The Cosby Show,” on which he played Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable. He was the father everyone in the 1980s wanted. The show’s fame earned Cosby the title of America’s Dad. Like most of Cosby’s career, his work crossed racial barriers of the time, earning popularity among black and white Americans.

At a time when an increasing number of American families were split by divorce and other problems, the Huxtable family showed America what family happiness really looked like.

The problem is, we now know of course, was that the truth could not be more different.

While I still think of him as he looked as Dr. Huxtable, I saw him live on stage in 2010 when he performed in Mississippi and he was not the same man then. Age apparently had worn on him and he shuffled onto the stage in a sweat suit and what appeared to be bedroom slippers. His comedy routine was funny, but it seemed as if his heart was no longer in his work.

Cosby, whose wit and wisdom earned him global acclaim, had a much darker side.

After many years of allegations on the periphery, much more pointed, direct and seemingly believable allegations of Cosby having drugged and raped a number of women came to light.

Last month in his second criminal trial, he was found guilty and now faces the potential for up to 30 years in prison, though legal experts say it’s unlikely he would receive such a long sentence.

Had Cosby’s sexual accusations come to full light in the 1990s, Americans would have almost wholeheartedly been shocked.

Now, in 2018 when scandal, salaciousness and betrayal often seem the rule not the exception, the shock is muted, but still there.

Can we trust anyone anymore?

Unfortunately, the answer increasingly becomes easier and easier to answer.

So what are we to do when our childhood heroes are proven to be, well, human and as such filled with sin?

The best approach may be to realize that when we place our hopes and dreams on ourselves or on others, we will always come up disappointed.

Trusted politicians get caught in trouble and fall.

Beloved teachers and pastors violate trust and do wrong.

Even some people’s own family members are capable of awful, dreadful things.

The only one who doesn’t disappoint is our heavenly Father. Through all of life’s problems, battles, disappointments and downfalls, He remains a constant and steady hand to reach for in times of crisis and a firm shoulder on which to lean when you’re weak.

And unlike Cosby’s clearly misplaced nickname as America’s Dad, God is the world’s dad, creator and savior.

When life disappoints, turning to him for hope and guidance always renews me. My hope is that Cosby has sought the same forgiveness and grace that only God can provide.

Kevin Cooper is publisher of The Natchez Democrat. He can be reached at 601-445-3539 or kevin.cooper@natchezdemocrat.com.