Do you feel like you started 2025 with more exhaustion than excitement? If the “January Blues” hit you harder than expected, you’re not alone, and I hope this message encourages you.
After all the end-of-year events and pressure to keep up with deadlines, stepping into a new year can feel overwhelming. I’ve seen posts declaring, “January was a trial month; the year officially begins on February 1st,” and honestly, they’re relatable. No matter how many years pass, I find myself sprinting from the start line, trying to achieve my yearly goals in the first month instead of pacing myself for the marathon ahead. I want to start strong, showing God how serious I am about getting things done, but inevitably discover I’ve set myself up for failure and burnout.
I was recently talking to my cousin about this tendency—how we push ourselves so hard that we become unmotivated. People call this the January Blues, and while I laughed at the term at first, I realized it was more than a phrase when I found myself physically and emotionally drained. In that low place, the Lord gently humbled me as He revealed that life isn’t about how much we accomplish in a day but the attitude and purpose behind all we do.
Are we operating from a place of love and surrender that glorifies Yeshua’s name, or are we striving out of obligation, trying to elevate ourselves by our own strength?
As I lay in bed, feeling lower than I’ve ever felt, I cried out to the Lord to shine His light into the darkness I felt trapped in. At that moment, He reminded me that His light never runs out. It shines day and night. So, if we feel shrouded in darkness, it’s not because He’s distant; it’s that we’ve closed the curtains of our hearts, blocking His presence from shining through us. When we strive by our own strength, we act like we’re working for God, but in reality, we’re working against Him because we’ve disconnected from the very Source that sustains us.
We often recite Philippians 4:12-13 — “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through him who gives me strength.” — but have we grasped its meaning? Contentment isn’t about achieving our goals through sheer determination but resting in God’s sufficiency. By walking in His ways, obeying His Word, and glorifying His name, we have everything we need to fulfill the calling on our lives. Yeshua is our source of life, but when we stop drinking from His well, our energy fades, our focus drifts, and our motivation runs dry.
Though I’m awaiting the Lord’s guidance in multiple areas, one thing is clear: I cannot move forward by my own strength or timeline. All I can do is obey what He’s already shown me, bask in His light as I prayerfully await my next step, and cling to the hope found in His Word.
2 Corinthians 3:12-18 says, “Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
We don’t need to say “yes” to everything or fear missing out. We’re not in a race to prove ourselves to God — He already knows we can’t do it all, and He doesn’t expect us to. What He desires is our hearts to be fully surrendered so His Spirit can transform us into His likeness and empower us to live boldly through His strength.
So, let’s open the curtains of our hearts, allow His light to flood in, and step into each day with renewed vision, wisdom, joy, and peace. The January Blues aren’t for us because we don’t operate by our feelings or circumstances; we live by the unshakable freedom and love in the Messiah.
As I dive into God’s Word, I realize it’s not about striving for more but receiving more of Him. What the world cannot give, it also cannot take away, so don’t let your joy be stolen. Yes, we will get tired. Yes, we will stumble. But we are not walking this path alone.
2025 is the year of restoration. But restoration begins with surrender. So, cling to the Lord, keep those curtains open, and let His light shine through you so you can be a testament to His goodness to those around you. It might be cold and grey outside (unless you’re in Israel — not that I’m jealous), but our hearts will remain bright and warm because we are grounded in the One who bore it all on the cross so we could walk in His freedom and light.
