So, I've been thinking a lot about the interview I had yesterday with my new BYU bishop, and I've come to the conclusion that I dislike him. This is why:
He asked about my family. I told him about my siblings. He found out that my sister is in a rehab center in Orem. He asked if I ever struggled with the same issues as she did. WHY would that be AT ALL relevant, I wonder?
"So, can you afford your apartment?"
Liel wonders out loud what the correct response would have been to this: "Um, actually, I took out a student loan to pay for this...I could have lived in Raintree, but this one was so much prettier!"
"Um, yeah."
Later:
"So, we want to get you dating."
"Um, I don't want to date now."
"We try to encourage our young men to date."
"Just because I don't want to date doesn't mean that I will refrain from all social interaction."
"We'll see."
It gets worse. He asked for my previous bishop's email address so they can talk about me. "I just want to make sure there are no unresolved issues." He even SAID.
Plus, the question, "Is there anything else that you'd like to tell me about?" randomly asked at least three times through the course of the interview, which made me feel like he thought I did something deep, dark, secret, and evil. Which of course, I did not - but even if I HAD, isn't the gospel supposed to be about repentance and forgiveness? Ugh.
Ensha'allah this situation will change, because he will probably be my bishop for the next year.
And somewhere in between there is a balance of a bishop who isn't overly active in your personal life but also doesn't forget about you for 17 months.
ReplyDeleteIt's also probably important to remember that he was called of the Lord and ordained to his position and, although you don't have to listen to all of his advice, you should still pretend like you respect him.
ReplyDeleteSince he's direct, be direct. "When you ____, I feel ____." Or, "I need ____," "I don't need ____." Feel free to give him my phone number if he wants your whole life story...but he doesn't have the time, so relax.
ReplyDeleteUgh. Good luck with that, Kate!
ReplyDeleteP.S. Thanks for all the updates on your busy life! Glad you got back okay and Provo seems to be treating you at least alright. :)
And hooray for Danny being back!!