Written in 2017

Lord Jesus, you are the Wonderful One, full of wisdom, grace, righteousness, mercy, justice, goodness and power. You are the One who can overrule in any situation you desire. You could have worked Barbara's serious depression [which she had from 2012 to 2018] out in another way, but you allowed and guided things in this direction, so we choose to trust you with praise and to look at the bigger picture of what you are doing in shaping our character and giving us opportunity to honor you in trust.

Lord, to belong to you, to be your possession, to personally know you, this is wonderful, marvelous, majestic. "Blessed" is way too mild a word! To know that you chose us, wanted us as your children, sought us out, bought us, adopted us, transformed us, and that you richly, wholeheartedly love and cherish us--this is awe-inspiringly marvelous! It is more than we could ever have imagined or hoped for, especially in the light of what we actually deserved (punishment, rejection, suffering, eternal separation from you and all that is good).

So we choose to trust you through praise, knowing that you have laid out the race before us, empowering us to run it with perseverance and patience. And we run, looking to you, Lord Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, knowing that as we look ahead to the joy you have for us, we can endure whatever cross you give us, for we will be seated with you at the banquet table of your wedding feast in Heaven (Heb. 12:1-3).

[Epilogue: after years of depression and difficulty for Barbara, there has been marked improvement in the last months. We are thankful!]