Beyond the January Blues...

Iain Anderson, Hope's Support Manager reflects on January Hope...

The third Monday in January is apparently known as “Blue Monday” – allegedly the most depressing day of the year! The logic goes that it’s a day when the excitement and anticipation of Christmas is all done and dusted, people are back at work, the credit card bills from Christmas have dropped through the letter box, it’s still not quite pay day, the weather is dark, cold and wet, and your optimistic new year’s resolutions are looking decidedly less resolute!

Whether or not this is accurate – it does seem there is evidence that the ‘blue Monday’ concept was dreamed up by marketing teams looking to sell wellness products – I’m sure we all go through times when circumstances mean our enthusiasm, energy and resilience levels are low. When things are tough, it can be easy to focus only on the problems and challenges – which may at times feel insurmountable.

Thankfully, as difficult as life can sometimes be, we live in a world of hope. Hope is rarely a big, loud, flamboyant thing. It often begins as something small – but nevertheless powerful: a small glimmer, a shoot of new growth, a light in the darkness.

We see this every day at Hope Nottingham, across all our many activities. We see people who are facing situations of great of difficulty, but slowly and quietly hope can grow and develop. Kind words, a willingness to listen, showing compassion, care and welcome all prepare the ground for hope to take root. Often just knowing you’re not going through a situation alone is enough to make the difference. It’s why we set such emphasis on not just what we provide materially at Hope Nottingham, but also the way in which we do it – an approach embodied in our values of Compassion, Belonging, Trust, Working Together and Positive Change. Instilling hope can take time, trust and sometimes tears - but it's always worth it. Friendships develop, situations improve, smiles return, lives change.

For those with a Christian faith, the Hope that God brings is so much more than just optimism or wishful thinking. It is a certainty of what is to come, something that can be trusted and relied on, a promise that will be fulfilled. Something infinitely better, more certain and more permanent than what we see in the present. We can be confident, sure and certain that God is with us and cares for us each and every day:

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,

for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23

So, whether or not blue Monday (or any other day) has been challenging for you or those you know, tomorrow is a new day. God’s compassion is new every morning, (even the dark, wet January ones!) and will not fail. There is always hope. Let’s make sure we look for it, nurture it and help it grow, in our own lives and in those around us.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13