Christmas, with all its indulgences, is over; January is here, resolutions are already binned; we’re back at work; freezing weather makes us feel like hibernating; and we’re left facing the financial backlash of Christmas spending. ‘Blue Monday’ marks the full impact of this, which this year is next Monday, 20th January.

So, what can we do to help our friends, families and colleagues feeling weighed down by all of this? It’s easy to feel inadequate – we can’t solve everyone’s financial and emotional needs – but the good news is we do have the potential to help someone, we can all listen.

Over the holidays, doing a jigsaw, with the TV on as background noise, I was suddenly aware of a reporter asking, “But how do you solve their problems?” The reply was, “We don’t solve their problems, we just listen to them and we often find that is all that they need.” It was a news article on teenage mental health. But this concept applies to people of all ages.

Often we put ourselves under pressure to have an answer, but James encourages us to, “Be quick to listen and slow to speak” (James 1:19). As ‘Blue Monday’ approaches, let’s be alert to those around us and, freed from the need to have all the answers, but opening to the Holy Spirit’s prompting to see who within our circles just needs a cuppa and a listening ear. This too is an active demonstration of the power of God at work within us. It also means we can go to our Listening God in prayer for the people we listen to as well, “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer” (1 Peter 3:12)

Jane Callow, Listening Service Manager