Encourage: to inspire with courage, spirit, or confidence

In my walk with Christ, I desire to be an encourager. Whether in word or deed, I pray God inspires and quickens me to share sincere, heartfelt encouragement with others.

In the book of Acts there is a person named Joseph.  Joseph was an encourager.  So much so that you know him by another name, Barnabas, translated as “son of encouragement”.  My challenge is to become a Barnabas in my Christian walk.

It is so easy to find what is wrong with someone, but an encourager pauses before opening their mouth. They seek to share the positive and are quick to offer words of praise. I want to look close at the faces of people and see in their eyes the desperate longing for understanding and cry for a few words of encouragement.

William Barclay once said,

“One of the highest of human duties is the duty of encouragement. … It is easy to laugh at man’s ideals. It is easy to pour cold water on the enthusiasm. It is easy to discourage others. The world is full of discouragers. We have a Christian duty to encourage one another. Many a time a word of praise or thanks or appreciation or cheer has kept a man on his feet. Blessed is the man who speaks such a word.”

Jesus affirmed and strengthened the weak, the lonely and unwanted. He listened to their spoken words but was equally attentive to their feelings, silence and actions.

As I look back over my life, there have been times of discouragement and struggles. In those times, it was the encouraging words or actions of others that assisted me to push past the adversity.

We need more Barnabas’s in this world!