Some Things I Learned about Family in a Cabin in the Mountains

When you’re trying to find time for a family vacation and all three of the men in the family are preachers, it’s hard to accomplish the task. Recently, however, after a couple of years of trying, we managed to find the time to spend four days together in the Smokey Mountains. Eleven of us were closed in a cabin with three levels – one for each family.  As the wife, mother, mother-in-law and grandmother, I learned some very important things.

Families NEED to be together – or maybe I should say I needed to be with my husband, children, and grandchildren. There is such joy in being away from anyone’s home and the responsibilities that go along with it. Relaxation is a necessity and when family members who love one another get together all are able to relax.

Laughter is great for the physical body and for the soul. As you might imagine, we did a lot of laughing in that cabin. Stories were told about our family that have been told many times before, but are still funny to us because they are part of our history. New stories were lived out that will serve as a source of laughter in the future. I’m reminded of some of Solomon’s words, “…he who is of a merry heart has a continual feast.” (Proverbs 15:15)

Any problem can be worked out if you want it to be.  As you might imagine with eleven of us in one cabin there were a few problems that came up. Different ideas of what to do, what and where we all would eat, the cost of extra activities, and a stomach bug that bit one of our little ones, were all problems that we faced. But, when you think about each other more than you think about yourself, any problem can be solved (Philippians 2:3-4).

Children teach valuable lessons.  Lessons like sharing, laughing, joy, singing, cleaning the cabin, and asking questions like, “where are we going for Bible study Wednesday night?” all taught some very valuable lessons. Things don’t make children happy. Spending time with people they love does.

Love grows when you spend time together.  My heart is full of love for my physical family. Our children are grown and have families of their own, but when the three generations can spend time together, our love for one another grows even stronger. Our love for God also grows stronger, because we are made more aware of His infinite wisdom in creating the earthly family. As we sang together “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, the Lord surrounds His people…,” I felt my love grow not only for my family, but also for the God who loves all of us.

One cabin.  Four days.  But memories that will last a lifetime.

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