When my children were little and got hurt, I would scoop them up, hold them close, calm them down, and then we’d face the big bad boo boo.

Whether it was a cut, scrape, splinter, or sting, I would always bend low, bring close, and gently wash away the dirt and fix the hurt. There were hugs and kisses. I can still feel their little heads under my chin and smell the sweat in their hair as they sat on my lap. I would rub their backs and sing songs to help them calm down.

This is Mom101. Sometimes, though, the wounds aren’t physical…and they’re too big for a bandaid and a kiss.

The other night, as I was praying for a dear friend, I was praying that Jesus would bind up her wounds and heal her broken heart. The Lord brought me the most beautiful image of a mother and her child. As the mother comforted the hurt child, I realized how close Jesus has to be to us in our troubles to bind our wounds. Just like when my children were little, Jesus is right there, bending low, ready to scoop us up and hold us close. He washes us clean…white as snow. He sings over us.

I am so thankful for this beautiful reminder of the closeness of our Savior, our suffering Savior who loves to draw us to Himself. He is an intimate lover of our souls. He understands our troubles and is so willing to fix our wounds. Jesus is, indeed, close to the broken-hearted.