{"id":2670,"date":"2012-07-18T09:25:23","date_gmt":"2012-07-18T09:25:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/?p=2670"},"modified":"2014-09-23T11:39:21","modified_gmt":"2014-09-23T11:39:21","slug":"the-english-patient","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/the-welford\/the-english-patient\/","title":{"rendered":"The English Patient"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Patience is apparently a virtue, but it is one that seems to be becoming extinct, at least in my life. We live in a nanosecond microwave culture, we want things and we want them yesterday darn it! I don\u2019t know if you are like me, but I have allowed this to seep into my spiritual life \u2013 I see the changes I desire to make but I only want the results \u2013 not the hard work.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s just as concerning is how I react when the immediate change I desire is slow to arrive. I throw the towel in \u2013 if I can\u2019t change that quickly then what\u2019s the point? I get so discouraged, and this discouragement blinds me to any progress that I may have made.<\/p>\n<p>I wonder what pleases Jesus more \u2013 empty acts or a willing heart? Could it be possible that He can do more with a willing heart than someone who just acts right? Don\u2019t get me wrong, I\u2019m not suggesting that we coast through life with a willing heart but never actually changing, but rather that when the discouragement hits we remember that God looks at the heart, and that change is a journey not just a destination.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>2 Corinthians 12: 7-10<br \/>\n\u2018To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, \u201cMy grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. \u201d Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ\u2019s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ\u2019s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.\u2019<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"linkwithin_hook\" id=\"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/the-welford\/the-english-patient\/\"><\/div><script>\n<!-- \/\/LinkWithinCodeStart\nvar linkwithin_site_id = 897245;\nvar linkwithin_div_class = \"linkwithin_hook\";\n\/\/LinkWithinCodeEnd -->\n<\/script>\n<script src=\"http:\/\/www.linkwithin.com\/widget.js\"><\/script>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.linkwithin.com\/\"><img src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.linkwithin.com\/pixel.png?w=750\" alt=\"Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...\" style=\"border: 0\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Patience is apparently a virtue, but it is one that seems to be becoming extinct, at least in my life. We live in a nanosecond microwave culture, we want things and we want them yesterday darn it! I don\u2019t know if you are like me, but I have allowed this to seep into my spiritual [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<script>\n<!-- \/\/LinkWithinCodeStart\nvar linkwithin_site_id = 897245;\nvar linkwithin_div_class = \"linkwithin_hook\";\n\/\/LinkWithinCodeEnd -->\n<\/script>\n<script src=\"http:\/\/www.linkwithin.com\/widget.js\"><\/script>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.linkwithin.com\/\"><img src=\"http:\/\/www.linkwithin.com\/pixel.png\" alt=\"Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...\" style=\"border: 0\" \/><\/a>","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[312],"tags":[20,23,74,90,101,142,192,287],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7PoLK-H4","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":921,"url":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/news\/the-pixel-project-mens-room\/","url_meta":{"origin":2670,"position":0},"title":"The Pixel Project &#8211; Men&#8217;s Room","date":"24 August 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"The Pixel Project are an online organisation (State-side) working hard to bring awareness to the cause to end Violence Against Women. For those of you already involved in this area, you'll know the horrifying statistics all too well. You'll be familiar with some of the cases. You'll know the scope\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8343,"url":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/thoughts-from-the-cvm-team\/valentines-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":2670,"position":1},"title":"Valentines Day","date":"14 February 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Are you caught up in the hunt for a bunch of roses and a 2kg bar of chocolate for your significant other half? Or are you standing your ground in defiance, voicing a silent protest against the marketing and commercialisation of a day of romance?\u00a0 Or maybe, you are in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Team CVM&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jamie-street-512689-unsplash.jpg?fit=1000%2C743&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4543,"url":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/demolition-squad\/clear-minds-and-dirty-feet-new-apologetics-book-from-jon-morrison\/","url_meta":{"origin":2670,"position":2},"title":"Clear Minds and Dirty Feet &#8211; from Jon Morrison","date":"9 August 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I want to introduce you to a useful book. It's written by a good friend of mine. Jon Morrison is Canadian, slightly cheeky, sharp-minded and very easy to get on with because he's mastered the art of not taking himself very seriously. Jon and I studied together for a period\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Demolition Squad&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/clear_minds_dirty_feet.jpg?fit=274%2C373&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7891,"url":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/thoughts-from-the-cvm-team\/top-ten-memory-verses-pt-1-10\/","url_meta":{"origin":2670,"position":3},"title":"Top Ten Memory Verses (Pt 1\/10)","date":"27 February 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Growing up I was taken along to church and soon discovered an incredible gift, I was amongst the elite few in Draw Swords and Bible memory verses. You might be asking what these two arenas of combat are and who are the chosen warriors that compete in such crucibles of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Team CVM&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/memory-verses.png?fit=565%2C350&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4607,"url":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/friends-of-cvm\/it-is-not-all-about-jesus\/","url_meta":{"origin":2670,"position":4},"title":"It is not all about Jesus","date":"27 November 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"It struck me the other day that we sing an awful lot about Jesus being everything, that it\u2019s all about Jesus. And let\u2019s face it they are both excellent sentiments but do they tell the whole story? I mean I know we should give our entire heart to Jesus and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Friends of CVM&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/friends-blog-640x360.jpg?fit=640%2C360&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4867,"url":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/carls-thoughts\/international-mens-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":2670,"position":5},"title":"International Men&#8217;s Day","date":"19 November 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"In case you missed it, today is International Men's Day. It's not an officially sanctioned United Nations day but it's now recognised in over 60 nations around the world, so let's get behind it! This year the focus is as follows :- 'Keeping Men and Boys Safe' The five challenges\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Carl Beech&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2670"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2670"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2670\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5640,"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2670\/revisions\/5640"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}