Do I have the right motives?

This week in our class we talked about Family Theories. It was super interesting to learn about the theories and relate them to my own life. After a lot of good changes, my family has been able to achieve a better systems theory. It has been cool to see everyone understand their role in the family and how much it influences the happiness in our home. When we are all fulfilling our part, it makes things run a lot smoother.

While we were talking about the the exchange theory, I thought a lot about how I used to be one of those people that always paid attention to whether I was receiving something in return. I found that a lot of the times, I wasn't happy. Even if I didn't think that I was doing things for the wrong motive (expecting something back), I was. I would bring up times that I did things for people and received nothing in return. I would think that I was always helping others and it was worthless. When I realized how selfish this was, I was heart broken. I really was. I had missed out on so many opportunities to serve those around me because I was too worried that I wouldn't receive anything in return. I have been able to work on this, and it has made serving a lot more fun and worthwhile. I absolutely love serving those around me just because. I know that we are all God's children and that He works through us. We need to make sure that we are willing and able to fulfill assignments that He wants us to accomplish. Being in the exchange theory is not the way to do this. We should simply do things for people because it is the right thing to do, not because we will receive something in return. I can say that, my motives are more clear and it makes life a lot easier and happier!