There are some seasons in this life when it feels like the rain just won’t stop, the dark clouds are rolling in one after the other, the ground is getting more and more muddy. You can begin to wonder if the soggy ground will swallow you up completely.

This week has been one of those seasons.

Some of you may have read my mom’s post from last night regarding my Grammie. This morning, we learned that she ended up being taken to the hospital via ambulance and is now there… with pneumonia. Things are not looking good. She is so tiny (just over five feet tall, and maybe 90 pounds dripping wet), so sick, and so weak.

Shortly after finding this out, my aunt from Northern California called and said that my grandpa is doing worse. His kidneys are shutting down, and he’s not getting the nutrients he needs due to watering down his “food” so the feeding tube doesn’t stop working. Things are looking much worse there also.

My mom went to see her gynecologist yesterday, and found out that she needs surgery. He wanted her to do it right away. But due to everything else that’s going on, she knew she couldn’t just have surgery right then, and was thinking possibly on Monday. He gave her some medication to try to stop the bleeding, but it actually made it worse. She’s weak, and she’s tired. And I’m worried about her.

When the first phone call came today, I was talking to my mom about my cousin’s baby shower we were planning to attend this afternoon. We were determining what time to leave (and whether or not Mom was strong enough to go… the rest of us really didn’t think she should be traveling two hours each way, but she wanted to try…). Now, a few hours later, we are looking at plane tickets to leave right away for Alabama. My mom, Troy and I will be heading out there for my Grammie early, early tomorrow morning, while my Dad, Zach, and John are here, ready to head up to my grandpa’s. My aunt (or, mom’s best friend, if you want to be technical) isn’t supposed to leave until Wednesday, so she might take a side trip to visit family in Arizona before she leaves. Things are a bit crazy.

A few months ago, Sarah from In the Midst of It, did an interview at Faith Lifts. She said something that has stuck with me.

Don’t let anybody make you feel guilty for what you’re feeling. And don’t let anybody tell you that God will never give you more than you can bear, or that you’re strong and can handle it, because neither of those are Scriptural or true. God will sometimes allow us more than we, on our own, can bear. (That verse is referring to temptation, not to burdens.) We are not always strong enough to handle bitter disappointment—I wanted to die after [my daughter's] diagnosis, when I had to lay down my dreams for my daughter and the disappointment was absolutely crushing—but He is bigger than the worst thing that can happen to us. I still can’t explain the theology of suffering or tests or the like, but I do know that my loneliness when I pulled away from Him was worse than the grief I felt after Addie’s diagnosis. So hang on, and don’t give up.

There are so many people hurting right now… dear, precious Heather, and sweet Kelli are both going through more than I can even imagine. I’m seeing more and more each day that sometimes the Lord does give us more than we can handle… because it causes us to depend completely on Him. I don’t have anything super-spiritual to say in response to any of what is going on right now. It’s a bit overwhelming. But I do know, in the little part of my mind that can think at the moment (between laundry, packing, figuring details, a clingy little man, and feeling quite, quite sick today), that God always, always shows Himself faithful in these moments when the rain is pouring down. I know that He is and will be holding us up. We do covet your prayers (especially for my mama… I’m really worried about her in all of this. She is not well herself.) and yet, it is so very, very humbling to know that you dear ones are taking time from your own lives, your own hardships and struggles to lift us up to the throne of Grace. It has brought tears to my eyes numerous times this week, knowing that there are people we may never even meet this side of heaven who are praying for us at that very moment. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.