How to Be an Encourager Like Jesus

Speaking Life to Others

By Cherie Burbach

Did you ever have someone who encouraged you so much, exactly when you seemed to need it, that their encouragement felt almost like Jesus Himself was there with you?

I had this experience once, with a boss I had many years ago, and yet the memory of her kindness is still so strong that it feels like it was a permanent balm on my heart. I was interviewing for a job I really wasn’t qualified for (the first miracle was that I got that job!) and the woman that hired me walked me to my car after our interview and, as I got into the car, called after me, “You’re terrific!”

What? I had never been told that in an interview before. Especially not with someone yelling it out loud in a parking lot!

I should have known God was at work. I (somehow) got the job, and soon after had a really rough time with my father’s death and all the aftermath that followed. My new boss was so kind and encouraging and went out of her way to help, even getting me to open up in a way I never had with anyone else.

That experience changed me for the better. It helped restore me from my rough childhood. It helped soften my heart and allowed me to ask for help—something I wasn’t very good at before then. I am forever grateful to her.

Since that experience, I changed the way I have approached my life and relationships. I didn’t even realize it at the time, but that was a turning point in my life. I have since vowed to encourage others in the way Jesus did: real, honest, and nurturing.