The first real job I had was at a press release distribution company. I worked in the newsroom receiving, editing and distributing business news and financial reports. It was a big company, and their business depended on fast and accurate work by us editors. I remember feeling the pressure of an imminent deadline coming up, and the stress of wondering whether I made a mistake on a press release that was just published. So although there were some positive things that motivated me on the job (for example, the feeling of success when I learned a new skill, the excitement of making a difficult deadline, a compliment from my coworker…), the main motivation I felt while working there was more negative. I felt motivated to work hard to avoid the embarrassment of messing up and the fear of getting fired.

We all have positive and negative motivations in life. Both can be quite helpful in driving us to do good things and avoid bad decisions. What I mean by a negative motivation is the push or urge to do something in order to avoid or minimize pain, failure or some negative result. In contrast, a positive motivation is the drive to do something because of encouragement, support or the promise of success or a reward.

In the Bible, we see that God uses both types of motivation with His people. Deuteronomy 30:15-18, says:

“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess.

But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess.”

God calls out the good result of choosing His way (blessings and life), but also the negative that will happen if the people turn away (curses and death). As humans, it seems that we often need both positive and negative motivations to stay on the right track. It’s helpful to remind ourselves that God will most likely use both tactics in our lives, and make sure we are aware and noticing what is or isn’t motivating us. Ideally, we’re motivated by the right things, in the right way, at the right time.

An example of this in the Bible is Paul (then called Saul) in the Road to Damascus story. After he sees a blinding light, God appears and speaks to him harshly. His response is “Lord, what do You want me to do?” (Acts 9:6). An intimidating interaction leads him to respond with humility, but also a drive to action.

In learning to respond well to different motivations and follow Paul’s example, there are a couple of potential problems we can fall into if we’re not careful.

The problem with only being motivated by fear or pain

Fear is a powerful motivator. The knowledge of consequences and threat of punishment underpins how much of our society functions today. The idea of going to jail or paying a large fine are effective deterrents for many people to think twice about dangerous or reckless actions. But it clearly doesn’t work completely. And most of us would agree that in an ideal world, everyone wouldn’t need to be pressured by fear or potential punishment into doing good things. Work and school environments are a lot more enjoyable when everyone is mainly motivated by positive elements like the satisfaction of doing a good job and the promise of things like a promotion or good grades.

Spiritually, negative motivations include the potential punishment of ending up in the Lake of Fire (see ucg.org/bible-study-tools/booklets/what-happens-after-death/are-some-tortured-forever-in-a-lake-of-fire). Positive motivations include the promise of a close relationship with God, true joy and peace, and access into His Kingdom.

When you’re only motivated by negative elements, you run the risk of having nothing left to motivate you in the right direction if the fear or threat goes away. In the history of the Church, there have been times when false leaders or teachers convinced followers that there would actually be no punishment for not keeping the Sabbath and other aspects of God’s laws. When that happened, many fell away. This seems to be partially because without the fear of consequences, they didn’t have much motivation left. What was missing was the joy and love for God’s laws, the attitude that even if there were no consequences for not keeping the Sabbath and Holy Days, the positive motivation is there with a passion for knowing God, developing a close relationship with Him and becoming more like Him.

Ask yourself: Do I tend to learn things the hard way? Do I need to experience negative consequences to “get the message” and change or improve? When I receive positive motivation, does it encourage me to do more good things, or do I just get complacent?

The problem with only being motivated by positivity

This doesn’t sound like it would be a bad thing. Perhaps you love getting positive feedback and feel energized through words of encouragement. That can be a helpful motivation, and good to know about yourself. When you feel down, you can go to friends and family who you know will lift you up with supportive and comforting input.

At the same time, we will all get critical feedback at certain times in life. If you’re not getting any, it probably means you aren’t taking many risks. You might be a bit stuck in your comfort zone. Learning to also be motivated when negative feedback comes up is an important skill.

Unfortunately, other people aren’t always the best at phrasing critical feedback constructively or wording things gently in times of stress. If you only get motivated with positivity, you might run the risk of becoming somewhat paralyzed in terms of decision-making when you receive negative feedback. I have felt this way at times. I get so worried about making a mistake that I become overly cautious and very slow to act or decide on anything. But this isn’t what God wants for us.

Emotional intelligence author and instructor Justin Bariso suggests remembering the phrase “use the difficulty” to shift our perspective from being overwhelmed when something negative happens to remembering that we can use it to our advantage. He writes,

“Often, when faced with challenging circumstances, you might try to focus on the end of a situation, and how things will change for the better. That can be helpful.

“But when you focus on using the difficulty, you have an additional tool—one that enables you to find reward right now. It transforms your view of the situation, allowing you to take advantage of current circumstances, although difficult, to create a positive.”

In other words, not only do we know that in the long term things will work together for good (Romans 8:28), but we can also use things that seem negative to help us grow and learn right now. This kind of attitude can make us more resilient, bold and tough-skinned Christians.

Later in his article, Bariso suggests asking yourself questions like these to practice “using the difficulty”:

1. What’s good about this situation? What is this situation teaching me?
2. How can I use this perceived disadvantage, setback or challenge to my advantage?

We might add, “What could God be trying to help me learn?”

Last winter I injured my knee playing volleyball. It turned out to be a complete ACL tear, meaning surgery, eight weeks on crutches, limited mobility and a lot of physical therapy (still ongoing), all of which was not easy with a toddler at home. It was also a difficult event because it seemed so out of the blue. I hadn’t had any knee problems before, or even any major injuries really.

It was easy to just get discouraged and say maybe I shouldn’t try to play sports anymore, or do anything too intense. But I’ve had (a lot) of time to think and process, and I don’t want to live timidly just to try to avoid another injury. And through spending a lot of time at the physical therapy office, I’ve started to appreciate learning how to take care of and strengthen my body in the right way. I’ve also gained a lot of empathy for others who have gone through big injuries or have serious health trials. It’s easy to take things for granted until they get taken away.

I could write a lot more about what I’ve been learning through my injury and recovery process (and maybe I will), but for now the point is that even difficult trials can teach us good things.

Review and consider the categories above; see which area you might identify as relevant to yourself (or both). Then take some time to write down your answers. This can be a good starting point for particular prayers to God asking for wisdom and self-awareness of potential blind spots that are impeding your spiritual growth. When we’re aware of how we’re motivated and open to God’s guidance, we can learn and grow from anything that happens in life, whether good or bad.