Secret 7: A Firm Foundation

What this means. Strong families do not endure automatically, any more than a house just keeps standing for many decades. A solid structure needs a firm foundation, and the same is true of a strong family. Successful families are built on a source of guidance that works.

Why it matters. Advice on family life abounds in books, magazines, and TV programs. Some marriage counselors would urge troubled couples to stay together, while others would urge those same couples to split up. Experts even change their own thinking on such topics. For instance, in 1994 a popular therapist who specializes in adolescent issues wrote that earlier in her career, she felt that “children were better off with happy single parents rather than unhappy married parents. I thought divorce was a better option than struggling with a bad marriage.” After two decades of experience, though, she had a change of heart. She stated: “Divorce shatters many children.”

Opinions are subject to change, but the best advice that can be found will always in some way reflect the principles found in God’s Word, the Bible. Reading this series of articles, you may have noted that a Bible principle is given at the top of pages 3-8. Such principles have helped many families to find true success. Like all other families, they experience problems. The difference is that the Bible has provided them with a firm foundation for marriage and family life. We would expect that to be true of the Bible, for its Author, Jehovah God, is the Originator of the family.​—2 Timothy 3:16, 17.

Try this exercise. Make a list of the scriptures quoted at the top of pages 3 through 8. Add any other Bible texts that have helped you. Keep a list of these handy, and refer to them often.

Make a resolve. Determine to apply the Bible in your family life.

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With a firm Scriptural foundation, your family can withstand the storms that threaten it