Password Power

Blessed are the people who know the passwords of praise. Delighted, they dance all day long; they know who you are, what you do—they can’t keep it quiet! Your vibrant beauty has gotten inside us—you’ve been so good to us! We’re walking on air! – Psalm 89:15-16 (The Message)

Some tech professionals encourage people to use the new year as a reminder to update passwords in order to decrease the chances of getting hacked. I’ve not heeded this advice before, but after an increasing trend of hacking activity throughout the interwebs, I’ve recently decided to clean up my digital presence.

To avoid the risky situation created by my inability to remember hundreds of unique passwords, I got a password management tool requiring one password to log in and access more passwords than I’ll ever need. It tells me I have 78 safe passwords. Before you congratulate me, it turns out I also have 11 weak and 148 reused passwords. Gulp! I’m pre-dreading all the time, energy, and patience needed to remedy this mess.

Blessed, indeed, are the people who’ve wised up to only having to know one password. This Password Manager shifts our energies from fear to delight, knowing that one password of praise relies on trusting God to protect them from countless vulnerabilities. That one password relieves the pressure of thinking they can do it on their own. “They can’t keep it quiet!” Their very lives become the best review ever given as they praisefully live out the vibrant beauty they can access within them.

Maybe this is the year I finally shift to one password.

Prayer
Let praise be the only password we need, Protecting God. Unlock our fears and tendencies to shut out the vibrant beauty you’ve installed within and all around us. Amen.

Small Group Discussion

langeniAbout the Author
The Rev. Phiwa Langeni is the Founder/Director of Salus Center (the first LGBTQ Resource & Community Center in Lansing, MI) and Pastor of Salus Center UCC & First Congregational UCC – Ypsilanti. They are a parent, speaker, writer, transitional coach, designer, and low-key fashion head.