What motivates us to get up in the morning? Why do we want to learn, to help others, to acquire knowledge, to be the best soccer player? There are two distinct types of motivation that can help us to do these things. Extrinsic motivation is motivation that comes from outside of us. These are the rewards, the Freddo Frogs, the stickers, the paycheck at the end of the week, the praise, and the recognition. Intrinsic motivation is motivation that comes from inside us. These motivations can include the sense of accomplishment, love of knowledge, enjoyment, desire to grow, and honouring God by developing our character to be like His.
The motivation, whether intrinsic or extrinsic, isn’t right or wrong. Motivation is really just a tool to get people to do something, to accomplish a goal. Tools can be used for good or bad. When children are young, we often use rewards to train them and reinforce a positive action or attitude. This can make some mundane or difficult things more exciting for children, and often for us as adults too, and keep the end goal more clearly in our minds.
The Bible is filled with examples of the rewards we will receive for faithfulness and fruitful service to God that has been done with right motives. Heaven, being the greatest reward, is a promise for those who accept Jesus as Saviour.
However, we need to make the shift in our thinking, from doing something simply for the reward, to viewing the reward as the growth that takes place in us. Whilst rewards are not wrong, we don’t want them to be the sole reason for doing something to encourage, bless and lift up others. In Matthew 6, Jesus clearly cautioned about doing things for the praise and notice of others, rather than doing things to honour God.
So how do we make this transition from extrinsic motivation to intrinsic motivation? Internal change and motivation come when we realise who Jesus is, what he has done for us and who he has made us to be. If God gave His best - His own Son, so we could have a relationship with Him, then doesn’t this encourage us to give our best in the life He has given us?
We are to serve God and to be the best we can be. The motivation can get sidetracked when it is about us and us only, when the motivation puts us above family, above others and above God. As we help our students and our children to seek to grow into being motivated to do good and right through intrinsic motivation, rather than extrinsic, we need to help them to see the end goal. We need to assist them to focus on the change and the growth that happens within themselves as they develop into fully being the person God created them to be, and to fulfil the purpose for which God has put them on this earth. We desire that they understand that there are people that only they can touch, jobs and roles that only they can fulfil. To know they are doing what’s right because it is right, not just to get an external reward.
