Password Please

Over the past 6-8 months I've been going through a new phase in my life. Acknowledging that we all must endure these times in our lives in which we make new discoveries about ourselves. For instance, sometimes we'll try a new sport or pick up a new hobby and really be surprised at just how much we enjoy the activity. So much so that we are even disappointed that we didn't try it earlier in life.

There are, however, times when we make these discoveries and well, quite honestly, we could have done without them. We would have been perfectly fine if they would have remained undiscovered. Alas, this would be the category where my recent discovery would be found.

I've been having the re-occurring problem of forgetting certain passwords that I have 'to do life' with shall we say. Actually it was probably not certain passwords but rather completely random with no discernable or predictable pattern and any and all passwords were subject to cognitive deletion. Immediately I attributed this to my recent glance into the rear view mirror at the number 40 and it wasn't on an interstate or highway sign. Then I began considering that perhaps it wasn't my memory that was at fault but the sheer volume I was being asked to instantly process. Perhaps my RAM simply wasn't large enough!

Now consider this with me. I know that we all have pin numbers and passwords and for the most part we all use certain names, numbers, dates, pets or places of significance with a variety of combinations to have any hope of remembering over a few that are frequently employed. When our 'life systems' increase in number and in security level we are often asked by the hosts of those systems to periodically change our password for added security, thank you for caring! Now this in turn increases the storage space needed in our precious gray/grey matter to store these multiple codes and any ingenious pettern we have devised for quicker recall.

What was happening with me was repeated calls to have passwords reset. Which was, needless to say, a little embarrasing. Especially when I thought one lady answered the phone and said ,"Is this you again Mr Skeens?" She denied it but I'm still suspicious. You run the list of security questions; your mother's maiden name, childrens birthday's, dogs favorite chew toy, who knows. I was getting so flustered that I was starting to get those wrong! Until I finally had enough and found a very secure way and place to record and secure ALL of my passwords and logins. I began compiling my list. Now imagine a typical amount someone might have say an even dozen, I don't know. Now factor in ministry associated security items and that I work for a major telecommunications company and consider the reality that they possess and I interact with a large amount of systems and technologies and their respective softwares. Here is where my list stands at today. It is nearly finished with perhaps a few other systems to add in the near future that I simply haven't worked with since I began the list. MY PASSWORD AND LOGIN LIST HAS 50 ENTRIES!!!!! OR YOU CAN MAKE IT WORSE AND SEPERATE THE PASSWORDS FROM THE LOGINS AND MAKE IT AN EVEN C-NOTE!!!!!!!

Now that is simply ludicrous. No wonder I couldn't remember the stupid passwords when I'd be asked on a phone call once a year or just prior to being locked out of a rarely visited website! I asked one security lady with our company if we could just go to a retinal eye scan and be done with it! She just laughed, I was serious! Well, you'll be glad to know that my list seems to be working for now with only one recent password reset that I'll consider an anomally for now.

Aren't you glad that God doesn't require us to memorize some exhaustive list of do's and dont's!? You know in ages past men and women in Israel considered the Torah or the Pentateuch or the 5 books of Moses to contain 613 Mitzvot or Biblical commandments within the text of the Mosaic Law! Now the religious rulers of the day said that these needed to be kept to the letter so we could say they expected you to have them memorized! Talk about a list!!!!! There were said to be 365 negative commandments, ,one for each day of the solar year and 248 positive commandments said to ascribe to the number of bones and significant organs in the body. My knee is hurting! The way this list is broken down and understood goes on and on and on.

You know there are people today with good intentions who would read you a list of things you should and shouldn't do before you come to God and then another list of things you should and shouldn't do after coming to God. Paul told the church in Rome that if they "confess with their mouths the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in their hearts that God had raised Him from the dead that they would be saved. (period) So just come to God and let Him worry about the rest. Granted there is some simplification there but your sincere obedience to Him and His Holy Spirit will enable you to know those things which would hinder and help you subsequent to salvation. Continue in His Holy Word as it is His love letter to you and in the fellowship of a local body of believers as they are fellow travelers with you on your way to New Jerusalem. How does the old song go? "Little is much when God is in it, labor not for wealth or fame, there's a crown and you can win it if you go in Jesus name." Don't make the most wonderful relationship you have ever known difficult to attain or sustain by seeing it through legalistic eyes. You've already had too many spiritual resets. It's time for fellowship, It's time for fruit.

Blessings, Pastor Curt