Pearls of Wisdom – Bishop Holt

I had a meeting a few days ago with my Bishop and he gave me some really wonderful advice.  We were talking about my future mission and he asked me if I have ever had a roommate.  I said yes.  Then he asked if there has ever been anyone in my life that I just couldn’t stand.  Again, I said yes.  Then he told me that I would almost certainly have a companion on my mission that was both of those things.  I had heard this before, but in that moment I realized that I would be on my mission in a few months and I would have that companion soon after.  I must have looked a little shell shocked because he then gave me some very important advice.  He said, “There are two things you must do to get along with this companion.  First, love them and second, bear your testimony to them.”

He went on to explain these two statements.  He told me to love my companions because the way I treated and interacted with my companions would be a reflection of how I will seek after and then treat my future wife.  He went on to explain that the way I treated my companions and the way I treated my wife would reflect how I will treat my children.  The way I treat my children will help decide if they are productive and valued members of society.  The way I treat them will reflect how they treat others and the cycle will continue forever.  The habits that I will learn on my mission and the way I treat my companions will have effects more far reaching than I can possibly imagine right now.  This is reminiscent of something called “The Butterfly Effect.”  This states that a butterfly flapping it’s wings in New York could cause a monsoon in India.  Or that me smiling at someone today could cause them to smile at someone else, or make a different decision than they would otherwise and those changes will affect other things and I can in fact change the world.  I will try to remember all of these things in everything that I do, from the way I live with my family now to how I live with my mission companions.  I will love them.

He also told me to bear my testimony to my companions.  He explained that opening yourself up in that way and sharing some of the most personal things in our hearts binds people together.  Sharing a spiritual experience forces people to grow closer together.  You cannot have the Spirit descend on two people without learning to love the other person.  I know that even now when I share my testimony with someone I draw closer to that person.

I hope that I can always love the people I am with and that I can bear my testimony to the people in my life.  By doing these things I will draw closer to Heavenly Father and become more like him.  I will always strive to do what’s right because I want to be able to grow and learn and have a positive effect on everyone I meet.  If you love the people you live with and share your testimony with others around you, you will grow and have a positive effect on the people around you too.