Welcome to 10 minute Bible Talks.

Where we connect the Bible to your life.

In the time it takes to get to work.

I'm Jeff Parrott. There's a new therapist helping people all over the world growing

in popularity and it's not someone you'd expect. It is, however, someone you're probably already familiar with.

The lovable Muppet from Sesame Street, Elmo.

Elmo reached out to the world over social media with this post recently.

Elmo's just checking in. How's everybody doing? Now at first the responses were both humorous and

playful. You'd expect that, but as Elmo's question was reposted on various

outlets, the responses turned from humorous to heartfelt. People expressed stress and anxiety over really specific scenarios, but also they shared a general sense that things in life just aren't okay.

If life is a roller coaster ride of ups and downs, people were clear that they are not loving the ride.

The people running Elmo's official social media account responded to as many posts as they could with

mental health resources and words of encouragement. The response was

overwhelming. At the time of recording this, Elmo's question, how's everybody doing?

It's been viewed over 200 million times.

The journalist Bill Chappell from NPR recognized that Elmo is functioning as a kind of therapist for millions of people around the world.

From Sesame Street to social media, Elmo has a gift for connecting with people who need comfort. The phenomenon surrounding Elmo's role as

an online therapist is interesting and heartwarming and it also tells us a lot about ourselves.

As we navigate life's ups and downs, the roller coaster of

emotions and circumstances, we need someone who can hear us, be with us, who can connect

with us.

Psalm 30 addresses the roller coaster of life

...