“Invalid Password”

If you’ve ever read a spy novel or watched a detective series on TV, you know that getting information from the “bad guy” is always a big deal. In some cases the interrogation is somewhat mild, in other cases it can get pretty tough. Well, I think one method that even the most brutal interrogators refuse to use is the “password torture approach”….some would call it “cruel and unusual punishment”. 

You may have experienced this approach. It starts with the message, ”the password you’ve submitted is not valid”. Auuuuuggh….you immediately experience a cold sweat, a queasy stomach, maybe even a panic attack. And then you work to get a new password. The computer screams back at you, “Hey Chuck, that suggested password is “weak”…a 5^th grader could hack that password….what are you, a dummy”. Then you receive the coup de grace….. “oh by the way, did we tell you our system was hacked and all the  passwords are vulnerable…so please change them all.” At this point, I’m willing to do anything to put a stop to the agony…..”I’ll tell you anything…. even my mother’s maiden name, even where my grandmother keeps her extra cash”. (it’s in the tree house out back, under her 12 gage shotgun). 

Okay, you finally get things to calm down; you have the new password. Life returns to normal…. but don’t you know, a week or two later you’re looking to get into the March Madness Basketball Pool and there it is again…..” I’m sorry the password you’ve submitted is invalid”. 

So Dave, why are you torturing us by bringing this up? What’s the point of this BLOG? Well I’ll tell you, life can be difficult. But by the grace of God, if we can conquer the “password demon”, we can conquer anything. Please allow me to lead you through the journey to “password heaven”. Yes, we can do it. Ready for the steps:

• I first decided that I needed to get things under control. 
• Next I  looked at my list of accounts with passwords; I counted over 50. “I know, I know…that’s crazy…. I admit it”. 
• Time to prioritize …..not all were of equal importance, e.g. is my Medical account as important as my March Madness account ….hmmmmmm, perhaps not. 
• Next, I discarded the non-essential ones….the number’s down to 49. 
• I then took a little break to collect my thoughts. 
• Next I decided on my new system. It’s recommended to use passwords that are complicated enough to ward off the crooks, and easy enough to remember. Hmmmmm.
• I chose my new password:  “xqy7%^abcolnggks ?><kjiJS JJS84 52234#@$%^&*”. While complicated enough to ward off your everyday hacker, I had to admit I had trouble remembering it. So I shortened it to abc. Unfortunately my 1 year old great-granddaughter went around singing my password.
• After consultation with some wise friends, I did come up with a system that I’m in the process of trying to implement. It hasn’t been easy and I ended up shutting down my e-mail account for several hours, but I’m back on the trail. 

So, how does this particular BLOG tie into living our life in Christ? In a nutshell, trying to get our passwords to work is somewhat like trying to live a holy life. It’s a battle. It’s not easy. It takes perseverance, we need to learn patience, our hope is tested, we need help from others. Timothy reminds us to “fight the good fight of faith” (1Tim. 6:12) There are times we want to give up. Paul tells us to “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil.3:14)

So the next time you get that dreaded error message, “the password you’ve submitted is not valid”, take a deep breath, smile, and ask the Holy Spirit to help you. He will help you to find the right password, and to get holy at the same time. And that is very good news.