This week, former First Lady Michelle Obama spoke for tens of millions of us when she talked about how difficult the last five months have been for her. She described her feelings as “low grade depression.” I’ve had many conversations with people who described exactly the same thing. They’re worried about their businesses, their kids, their future, their country. They have trouble sleeping; they’re on edge, ready to snap.

I feel the same way too. And I worry about the homeless and marginalized who come to the church for help.

This must be how they feel all the time, pandemic or not.

Mark 7:24-30 is the story of Jesus venturing north out of Jewish territory to the Gentile city of Tyre. If Jesus’ presence became known there it could derail his whole mission. It was then a Gentile woman came to him, desperate for him to heal her daughter.

She must have felt this way all the time.

Marginalized, low grade depression, and on top of that, her child was demon possessed. Her conversation with Jesus seems shocking to us. Wasn’t Jesus being cold and sexist? No.

Jesus didn’t come to heal a few people of one tribe or region.

He came to redeem all of heaven and earth.

He came to fix what was wrong with us all.

Mrs. Obama said she was depressed by what was happening in the White House, but she was encouraged by the peaceful protests she saw.

Others say they’re depressed by what the Democrats say and by the violent protests they see.

Look, if we are all depressed, and if we all think the problem is them, maybe the real problem is something deeper.

Maybe defeating people with different political beliefs won’t solve anything.  

Maybe the problem is not them, it’s us.

It’s our fallen hearts. 

Jesus loved us all so much he let a fractured world tear him apart.

It was the only way to put our hearts back together.