Motivational Interviewing

On Sunday, Tiger brought up the idea of motivational interviewing. While seeming counterintuitive at first, it can help people discern their own way forward by helping them look at the assumptions behind their actions.

Jesus used all sorts of provocative questions to help people do some thinking. Here’s one that sounds a lot like motivational interviewing:

“Do you want to leave also?” Jesus asked the Twelve. - John 6:67

When others had given up on following Jesus, he turned to his closest friends and asked if they wanted to go also. It’s sort of permission giving, but mostly helping people articulate what’s really going on inside of them.

Tiger pointed out a situation where they might interview a client who only kind of wants to stop smoking by asking some questions. Imagine it going like this:

Tiger: How much do you smoke.
Client: A pack a day
Tigers: What do you like about smoking?
Client: Well, it helps me relax when I get home from work.
Tiger: Why don’t you smoke more?
Client: (confused) Well, it’s really bad for my health!
Tiger: Tell me more about that…

That’s the motivational interviewing style - helping you to articulate the mixed messages inside of yourself and then empowering you to identify the healthiest part of yourself that you want to listen to.

So what would you say if Jesus asked you a questions these days? (Pick one and mull it over in prayer - some are directly from the gospels and some aren’t, but all are motivational)

• Why don’t you doubt more?

• What’s the best part of your anger?

• Do you want to get well?

• Why do you call me Lord?

• Why do you worry about your clothes?