passion @ uwa

And here to start the ball rolling ... is our very own Zone Sup, Peter Kenner!!

40DOL: Day 1- Nothing is more important than relationships

Hi guys and gals. Welcome to the first day of 40 Days of Love! Hope you all have had a great couple of days with Search for a Star and are excited about what’s going to happen in your life, your cell group and your zone over the next 40 days. Each day one of your zone sups, cell leaders or cell interns will post their thoughts on the days reading on our blog so stay tuned for regular updates as we walk through the rest of the semester together. So let’s start!!!

“Relationships are painful. Relationships are wonderful.” The first two sentences of the book have really proven to be true in my life so far. It is always the people who are closest to us that bring us the most heartache but also the most joy. The people who truly know us for who we are, the ones that we let in and allow to speak into our lives are the ones that shape us into who we are as people even during the hard times of pain and hurt.

I dare say that there isn’t a person who hasn’t been hurt by someone during their life. It could be parents, siblings, course-mates, people from church, loved ones (BF/GF), someone you love but who doesn’t love you back, cell leaders (hopefully not!) and even zone sups (slightly more likely J). I’ve been through many of these times and found that for me worship is the best way of getting through it. After all, worship changes the focus from us to God, a God who demonstrates perfect love and will never fail us or let us down. There was a time recently that I went through a difficult situation that really was no-ones fault and I only really had peace when I was worshipping. From that worship came a song…

Verse 1
Here I stand in this burden
Weighed down by my hurt and pain
My strength fades, I grow weary
A thousand thoughts running through my head (and no-one understands)

Chorus
Lord, I give my heart,
Lord, I give my heart, my soul to You,
Jesus, all I have is Yours.

Verse 2
You’re bigger than my failures
The God of the universe
Your heart is of love and compassion
So I can trust my life into Your hands (only in Your hands)

Verse 3
Your grace overwhelms me Jesus
Your love overcame my sin
So I walk in this life of promise
Until the day that I meet You face to face (I’m gonna see you Lord)

Bridge
You take my burden, my pain, I’m lifted up in Your name
And in the midst of my strife, You are the fountain of life
So every breath I take, and every move that I make
Oh Lord wont You help me to see, that I’m not living for me


But as much as relationships and people can bring us hurt and pain, relationships are what life is really all about right? Firstly our relationship with God and secondly our relationship with the other people around us. What did Jesus say again?

Mark 12:29-31 (paraphrased):

“The most important [commandment]… is this:… ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as youself.’”

That’s why love should be our first priority in life. There are many times in my life when I haven’t had the answers. Times when people have asked me for advice and I’m not sure what the best thing to say is. Times when I’ve felt like I need to talk to someone about what’s happening in their life but don’t want to hurt them or break a friendship. Times when I look back and wish I could change the way I acted or something that I said that’s caused hurt and pain. So that’s what this is all about: Learning from the master, the God of love who sent His son to demonstrate to us not just what real love is but how to live a life of love. Let’s take up the challenge together as a zone and learn and practice love the way God wants us to, the way Jesus did, the way followers of Christ have tried to do for 2,000 years. And as we place the highest value on relationships I’m sure we’ll be surprised at how much we change ourselves in the process and are filled with the love and joy that God feels when He looks upon each person that He has created. One life to lead, laugh, learn, leap and LOVE. Let’s get to it!

Much love,
Peter