Yesterday we joined some dear friends for a little field trip to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. The gardens boast no flowers in February, of course, but the fresh air and sunshine did wonders for most of us!

Sadly, my 3-year-old, Laurel, was the exception. About two minutes into the trip, she asked if I would carry her. Seriously? It simply wasn’t an option. When we are both wearing snowpants and snowboots, carrying her is impossibly awkward. So, for the whole trip Laurel was whiny and grumpy and sluggish. She walked yards behind the rest of us, and I was selfishly impatient and frustrated with her as I waited for her to catch up. What was her problem? She’s been moody lately — with those infamous 3-year-old girl hormones — but this was a little extraordinary.

Only upon removing her snowboots at home did I realize the real culprit. A blister. She’s outgrowing her hand-me-down snowboots, and they were rubbing a blister on one of her little heals! Poor thing!

Laurel never said that her foot hurt, or that her boots were tight and uncomfortable. She just trudged along with a frown. I feel so badly that I was so impatient with her. I never asked her why she was moving so slowly; I just kept telling her to hurry up!

After her bath tonight I bandaged up Laurel’s foot again, and then I read her the story about the Tower of Babel in her Jesus Storybook Bible. The story concludes saying that the world didn’t need a tower or a staircase to reach heaven, the world needed a Rescuer from heaven.

I asked Laurel who she thought that Rescuer might be. I don’t remember her first answer, but her second answer was, “Jesus!”

I replied, “Yes! Jesus. He is the Way to heaven. We can’t get there by taking the stairs, or by taking an airplane, or any other way. Only Jesus.”

Nestled snugly beneath the covers, Laurel looked particularly thoughtful. Then she asked, “Will Jesus walk us to heaven?”

Hmm. This wasn’t a question I anticipated. “Well, He walks with us on here on earth, so…”

Just as I began to see Laurel connecting this “heaven trip” to our walk at the Arboretum yesterday, she interrupted, “Will He carry me?”

Oh, precious one, yes He will! Jesus rescues us! He heals all the blisters and wounds this uncomfortable world gives us. Jesus knows about wounds. He was wounded for us to heal us from all the bad things we do. He was wounded so we can live with Him forever in heaven. And most certainly He will carry us there.

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

1 Peter 2:24 (NIV)