Image from Instagram #lakercole @melissa_jordan4

 Andy and I went to one of my favorite weddings ever. My friend Cathy Laker married Nate Cole and their wedding was perfect. Here’s why:

I am reminded of the goodness of God. Cathy waited a long time to get married. She learned to live single. She learned to hold on to God in the hard. She learned to become the person she was created to be.

Her wedding was an outward expression of the overabundant blessing she’s experienced. It was a celebration of the way God is dependable and gives exactly what we need and more.

Sometimes I wonder why we have to walk the hard of life. Celebrating with Cathy and Nate yesterday gave me a concrete understanding of the why. Cath was the most excited bride in the history of brides. Her energy was contagious and her joy filled and spilled out of her heart.

And I realized, without the hard, the celebration wouldn’t have been nearly as sweet. Without the hard, the joy wouldn’t have been as abundant. Without the hard, the goodness of God would have paled.

When we walk the hard, trusting in the goodness of God, the celebration is abundant — absolutely over the top — because God is mighty and loving and gives good and perfect gifts.

Always.