Before you nail me on a wall for coining (technically no, this word DOES exist) such a fabulicious (fabulous + delicious) name for my blog, allow me to bring you up to terms.
PERTINACIOUS is such a strong awesome word to begin with. I was in search of a word that reflect a state of being where we belong in our faith yet always being on the move with God the beginner AND finisher of our faith.
It takes a lifetime to learn about faith with God and rightfully being so - faith isn't something that we can wrap our mind around it in a straightforward 2-dimensional plateau. In fact, the moment we reach such 'surety' of what faith is; get this - we have switched from the state of real FAITH to the state of what-we-think-and-feel-that-we-already-know-it-all-about-faith.
Hey, wait a minute...
Isn't faith something that we believe in because we have seen the results before?
eg, - 1. I've seen the effects of gravity when I dropped my mum's favorite vase; so I'm sure that if I threw my hamster out the balcony, I'm pretty sure my hamster would hit the ground and not somehow miraculously fly instead.
- 2. I've tried playing badminton before and I looked like a fool with a raquet; so I'm pretty sure that if I tried tennis, I'll be a double fool.
- 3. I've given and prayed for God to bless me with a double-fold return before; so im quite sure that if i did the same again, I'll get another double-fold return.
True...
But not true enough. That's just half the truth. Faith of which God speaks about does not refer to just what we have known, or experience, or seen. 'Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things NOT seen' (Hebrews 11:1-3). Faith in it's real sense is ALSO continuously believing even for the things that we have YET to know, YET to experience, and YET to see.
Now, this is where the Christian faith with God becomes so real and powerful (accompanied with a whole lot of fun too!).
Still on Hebrews 11:1-3, we can see that because there will ALWAYS be more that we have yet to know, experience, and see - we will ALWAYS have reason for us to fix our eyes on Jesus and DISCOVER new things. 'Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the beginner and finisher of our faith..', another translation puts it as, 'Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith' (Hebrews 12:2a). Beginner and author gives us the understanding that the moment we dared to say "God i believe You are real, You do exist", God has already started the work of faith in us. Finisher and perfecter on the other hand, shows us that faith is a journey. Not something that we can journey by ourselves because we can never be our own finisher or perfecter of faith even if we tried.
Faith is active. Always on the move. Always meant to grow higher, wider, deeper. Faith was never meant to be stale, boring, and predictable(no fun factor).
Hence my blog's name,...
Pertinacious Faith
Per.ti.na.cious.
adjective
Latin pertinac-, pertinax, from per- thoroughly + tenac-, tenax tenacious, from tenēre
1 a: adhering resolutely to an opinion, purpose, or design b: perversely persistent2: stubbornly tenacious
Faith
noun
Middle English feith, from Anglo-French feid, fei, from Latin fides; akin to Latin fidere to trust
1 a: allegiance to duty or a person : loyalty b(1): fidelity to one's promises (2): sincerity of intentions2 a(1): belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2): belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion b(1): firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2): complete trust3: something that is believed especially with strong conviction
